ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Coastal Areas: Finance

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals for financial support for coastal clear-up in Cornwall.

Jonathan R Shaw: My Department is not looking to provide financial support for coastal clear-up in Cornwall or elsewhere. However, local authorities, and others, who have incurred costs as a result of pollution from a ship-source pollution incident may recover their costs by lodging a claim in court in accordance with the domestic law which applies the Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims Convention, 1966 (LLMC).
	Where marine pollution incidents do occur which pose a particular risk to the marine environment, my Department will consider whether to undertake and fund appropriate monitoring so as to be able to assess the impact of the incident.

Domestic Wastes: Recycling

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to encourage all councils to provide residents with a second bin for recyclables.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 19 July 2007
	The Government encourages all local authorities to work closely with householders to increase levels of recycling and composting and my Department has set challenging national and local targets to drive improvements forward.
	The Household Waste Recycling Act 2003 requires all waste collection authorities (subject to certain exemptions) to provide a separate kerbside collection service for at least two recyclable materials by 2010. Each authority is free to choose its own method of collection and the priority, degree of effort and resources required to meet its target and the requirements of the Act.
	Recent statistics show that approximately 88 per cent. of households are now served by a kerbside collection for two or more recyclates.

Fisheries: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the volume of fish caught by Cornish fishing crews was between  (a) 2001 and 2006,  (b) 1996 and 2000 and  (c) 1990 and 1995.

Jonathan R Shaw: Fisheries Departments in the UK do not record information to allow landings made by Cornish fishing crews to be separately identified. Information is available on landings by UK fishing vessels whose home ports are within Cornwall, excluding those vessels administered from port offices in Cornwall but owned by foreign interests. The following table shows details of these landings in tonnes live weight of all fish species. The table also includes data for grouped landings by small vessels of 10 metre and under length into ports in Cornwall, on the assumption that these vessels will be primarily Cornish vessels.
	
		
			  Year range  Weight (tonnes live weight) 
			  (a) 2001 to 2006 82,670 
			  (b) 1996 to 2000 89,695 
			  (c) 1990 to 1995 71,397

Fisheries: Industrial Accidents

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many  (a) deaths and  (b) injuries were sustained by Cornish fishermen at work between (i) 1977 and 1986, (ii) 1987 and 1996 and (iii) 1997 and 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The Marine Accident Investigation Branch hold details of deaths and injuries aboard UK registered fishing vessels from 1991. Crew deaths and injuries aboard or boarding fishing vessels registered in a Cornish port are:
	
		
			   Deaths  Injuries 
			 1991-96 14 27 
			 1997-2006 15 42

Fisheries: Protection

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 553W, on fisheries: protection, what estimate he has made of the number of hours per week the Royal Navy Fishery Protection service will be operational in UK seas in each of the five years of the new agreement beginning on 1 April 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: For 2008-09 it is proposed that the Royal Navy Fisheries Protection Squadron will provide the Marine and Fisheries Agency with 700 patrol days. The precise number of patrol days for subsequent years will be subject to detailed operational requirements. It is proposed that there will be flexibility to increase or reduce the requirement by 50 days a year subject to notice being given by the Marine and Fisheries Agency in September the year before. The operational details of future tasking is not determined on an hourly basis. The Marine and Fisheries Agency agrees task profiling with the RN and MOD and at present is considering an option of operating on a 21-day patrol cycle for each vessel.
	The maximum patrol days available during the period of the agreement will be 750 a year and the minimum will be 600.

Fisheries: Protection

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what average number of hours per  (a) week and  (b) month the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Service was operational in UK seas was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The RN/MFA Agreement refers to patrol days dedicated to the task of fishery protection. This has been accounted for on a monthly basis as set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Month  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 January — 79 91 67 71 65 56 50 58 46 51 
			 February — 96 91 64 74 89 82 82 79 65 77 
			 March — 74 91 86 85 82 87 72 83 82 70 
			 April 98 93 82 77 84 87 78 79 78 66 66 
			 May 92 91 80 86 93 86 85 72 80 79 79 
			 June 107 94 97 85 86 89 95 83 88 81 66 
			 July 111 112 102 97 79 92 86 86 82 92 — 
			 August 113 102 73 74 78 76 86 80 89 80 — 
			 September 100 103 99 102 78 77 94 83 87 80 — 
			 October 98 92 88 80 82 85 69 63 67 73 — 
			 November 101 91 78 85 83 76 65 69 50 54 — 
			 December 61 54 63 61 58 49 46 45 41 42 —

Fisheries: Protection

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answers of 6 June 2007,  Official Report, column 553W, on when he expects to conclude discussions with the Marine and Fisheries Agency, the Royal Navy and the Ministry of Defence on the detail of the agreement for the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Service from 1 April 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: The Marine and Fisheries Agency, the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence are currently considering the detailed provisions of the new agreement. I expect these discussions to be concluded in good time for the new arrangements to operate from 1 April 2008.

Fisheries: Quotas

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1663W, on fisheries quotas, for what reasons no  (a) scientific assessments have been carried out and  (b) safe biological limits have been defined for certain fish stocks; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: Fish stocks in EU waters are assessed by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES). Scientists from the UK's fisheries laboratories contribute to the undertaking of these assessments. The ability to perform scientific assessments is directly linked to the quality of fisheries data. In some fisheries, for example, the quality of catch and effort data are deemed to be insufficient or the available catch data appear to conflict with data from research surveys. In such cases, as a consequence, quantitative scientific assessments are not available.
	In the absence of a quantitative scientific assessment, it is not possible to define a stock's status with respect to safe biological limits.

Flood Control: Telephone Services

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs where urgent calls dealt with by the Worthing emergency control centre of the Environment Agency will be routed following the closure of that office.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 12 July 2007
	The Environment Agency has two principal offices in Worthing, a regional office in Guildbourne House and an area office in Saxon House.
	The southern regional emergency control centre is based in Guildbourne House, where staff receive and route calls associated with incidents and emergencies.
	These calls will continue to be dealt with there until at least June 2008, at which point a decision will be taken as to whether to transfer them to the well established National Customer Contact Centre in Sheffield.
	However, if a local incident occurs these will continue to be managed by local centres within the affected region.

Heating: Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the potential effect on carbon dioxide emissions of commercial and residential buildings adopting heat pump technology in place of gas boilers.

Joan Ruddock: The Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (FETA) has confirmed that 200,000 heat pumps were sold in the commercial sector in 2006, of which around 90 per cent. were air source.
	Estimates for the costs and savings in the housing market have been made for the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT). Ground source heat pumps are not currently a cost-effective substitute for gas condensing boilers. In a typical three bed-roomed semi-detached house, carbon dioxide (CO2) savings are around 0.46 tonnes CO2 each year.
	However, if they replace conventional electric heating, they are cost-effective, with annual CO2 savings of around 4.3 tonnes CO2 each year. If they replace solid fuel stoves, they are not cost effective but save around 5.7 tonnes CO2 each year. By comparison, cavity wall insulation would save 0.575 tonnes CO2 each year in a gas condensing boiler-heated house.
	If 10 million homes with gas condensing boilers had them replaced with ground source heat pumps, national savings would be around 4.6 MtCO2 (million tonnes of CO2) each year. This compares with the impact of all the policies in the Climate Change Programme by 2010, of 17.6 MtCO2 each year.

Lighting: Nuisance

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will issue quantitative guidance on the levels of obtrusive light which constitute a statutory nuisance.

Jonathan R Shaw: There is no set level at which an activity becomes a statutory nuisance. It is for local authorities to consider what is a statutory nuisance on a case-by-case basis, taking into account a number of factors, including the character of the locality, the frequency of the occurrence, its duration, reasonableness of use, and the sensitivity of the complainant.

Marine Bill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects to publish a draft Marine Bill.

Jonathan R Shaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 19 July 2007,  Official Report, column 505W.

Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what his policy is on the promotion of single-stream recycling by local authorities;
	(2)  what research he has commissioned into the take-up of recycling facilities, including door-step collection, where single-stream recycling is employed.

Joan Ruddock: Decisions on the best way to collect waste and recyclables are rightly a matter for local authorities, not central government. Decisions to collect recyclables for sorting at kerbside or in a single-stream (co-mingled) for sorting at a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) will depend on a range of factors, including the local housing stock, the range of materials being collected and the sorting and re-processing facilities available.
	No research has been commissioned by my Department on the take-up of recycling facilities where co-mingled recyclable collection is employed. Assessments on the uptake of local recycling facilities would normally be undertaken by individual local councils.
	WRAP will be undertaking a study into the cost and performance of different kerbside collection schemes later in the year and they are planning for that study to investigate several of these issues.
	Household waste recycling/composting has doubled in the last four years to reach 27 per cent. in 2005-06, which exceeds the Waste Strategy 2000 target of 25 per cent. This excellent progress is thanks to the commitment and hard work of the vast majority of local authorities, ever more enthusiastic householders and carefully targeted Government support.

SCOTLAND

Departments: Flint Bishop Solicitors

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made payments to Flint Bishop solicitors since 1997.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999 and, since that date, has made no payments to Flint Bishop.

Departments: Ministerial Red Boxes

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many ministerial red boxes the Department bought in each of the last five years; what the cost of each was; who the suppliers were; and what tendering process was used in selecting them.

David Cairns: Details of boxes purchased by the Scotland Office are set out in the table.
	
		
			   Number of boxes  Cost (£) 
			 2002 2 1,110 
			 2003 1 510 
			 2004 0 0 
			 2005 0 0 
			 2006 0 0 
		
	
	Ministerial red boxes are supplied via Banner Business Supplies.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many overseas visits were made by  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997.

David Cairns: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Civil Service Management Code" and the "Ministerial Code". The Office does not maintain a central record of overseas trips by officials.

Official Engagements

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what his official engagements were for the week of 9 to 15 July.

David Cairns: During the week of 9 to 15 July, the Secretary of State for Scotland had five engagements, primarily meetings with Ministers and officials, and participated in Scottish Questions in the House of Commons.

WALES

Departments: Agencies

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department paid in fees to recruitment agencies for  (a) temporary and  (b) permanent staff in each year since 1997.

Peter Hain: The Wales Office paid the following sums to agencies to supply temporary staff:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2004-05 99,199 
			 2005-06 91,914 
			 2006-07 19,808 
		
	
	We have not used agencies to recruit permanent staff.
	Corresponding information for previous years could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

National Assembly for Wales: Powers

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received on holding a referendum on extending the powers of the National Assembly for Wales.

Peter Hain: None. There is widespread debate as to the timing of a future referendum and I am aware of the different views that exist. The Government of Wales Act 2006 allows for the National Assembly for Wales to obtain enhanced legislative competence by way of Orders in Council. I am focussed on ensuring that these new procedures are a success.

Revenue and Customs: Location

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the likely effect on economic development of proposals to move HM Revenue and Customs jobs away from Objective 1 areas.

Peter Hain: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I continue to take a keen interest in the HMRC Change Programme and its possible impact on Objective 1 areas. My hon. Friend's predecessor also met Treasury Ministers to discuss this issue.
	The HMRC Change Programme is a genuine consultation; no official decision has yet been made on any Welsh HMRC office.

Welsh Language: Legislation

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he plans to bring forward new legislation on the Welsh language; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Hain: The Government have no plans to bring forward legislation at Westminster on the Welsh Language. The Welsh Assembly Government announced on 6 June this year, their intention to seek enhanced legislative competence in the area of Welsh Language by way of an Order in Council. If approved by the National Assembly for Wales and Parliament this would enable the administration in Cardiff to bring forward an Assembly Measure on the Welsh Language.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

East Midlands

Peter Soulsby: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what support is available for local authorities in the east midlands to develop their strategies and policies for London 2012.

Tessa Jowell: Local authorities have a key role to play in ensuring we maximise the legacy of hosting the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in 2012.
	In the east midlands, as in other regions, local authorities are represented on the regional groups for 2012 and supported by the regional coordinator. Additionally, the Local Government Association is supporting local authorities across England to ensure they realise the opportunities that the 2012 Games bring.
	All this work is being driven forward nationally by the London 2012 Nations and Regions group, chaired by Charles Allen.

Departmental Reorganisation

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how she expects the recent departmental reorganisation to affect the delivery of London 2012; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how she expects the recent departmental reorganisation to affect the delivery of London 2012.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Members to the answer I gave today to the hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire (Mr. Vara).

Legacy Plans

John Barrett: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what legacy plans have been put in place for the venues to be used for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: A key consideration in the design of Olympic venues is the provision of a lasting and sustainable legacy.
	A legacy business plan is being developed for each venue to ensure economic viability.
	Venues outside of the Olympic Park will revert back to their original use, although some with enhanced facilities, such as the Weymouth and Portland Sailing Academy, which will benefit from an expanded slipway and increased number of moorings.

Cabinet Office

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the work programme of the Better Cabinet Office programme.

Edward Miliband: The Better Cabinet Office programme has been superseded by a new change programme aimed at addressing the findings of the Department's Capability Review and the results of staff surveys. The capability review implementation plan, which was published 13 December 2006, covers actions up to the end of 2008. Copies of the Capability Review and the implementation plan are available in the Library for the reference of Members.

Charities

Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Government's policy on funding for the third sector.

Phil Hope: Recent surveys indicate that Government funding for the voluntary sector has doubled between 1996-97 (£5 billion) and 2004-05 (£10 billion). Initiatives like Futurebuilders, Capacitybuilders, the Invest to Save budget, expansion of Gift Aid (which currently provides £838 million to the third sector) and the new youth volunteering charity, v, have helped build the sector's ability to make a real difference in local communities. In November 2006, the Government launched an action plan for social enterprise which committed £18 million to supporting social enterprises achieve their social, environmental and economic goals and proposals on their access to finance.
	The Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 review into "The future role of the third sector in social and economic regeneration" is to be published later this month and followed a one-year consultation with the sector. The interim report of the review, published in December 2006, recognised that there was more to do to improve the relationship between Government and the third sector which included ensuring that there is stable and longer-term funding. The interim report announced a £30 million community assets fund and in addition an £80 million grants scheme for small community organisation was announced in Budget 2007.
	The Government have also launched a consultation on considering measures to improve the take-up of Gift Aid on 23 June 2007.

Departments: Direct mail

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many contracts for direct mail his Department has entered into since November 2005; and what the value was of each.

Edward Miliband: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Manpower

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many civil servants have been transferred from HM Treasury to  (a) the Cabinet Office and  (b) No. 10 Downing street since 27 June 2007.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	Since 27 June, three civil servants have transferred from HM Treasury to the Cabinet Office and three to No. 10 Downing street.

Departments: Ministerial Red Boxes

John Hemming: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many ministerial red boxes her Department bought in each of the last five years; what the cost of each was; who the suppliers were; and what tendering process was used in selecting them.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 239W.

Departments: Task Forces

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which task forces were  (a) established and  (b) abolished by Government departments since the last general election.

Edward Miliband: Information on department's task forces in existence on 31 March 2006 is contained in "Public Bodies 2006". This publication also lists those task forces that were wound up during 2005-06. "Public Bodies 2006" is available in the Libraries of the House.
	Information for 2006-07 is in the process of being published by departments alongside the publication of departmental reports. A summary of this information will be published by the Cabinet Office after publication by departments.

Departments: Theft

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether items in his Department worth more than £100 have gone missing since May 2005.

Edward Miliband: Four items with a value of more than £100 have gone missing from this Department since May 2005.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many overseas visits were made by  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997.

Edward Miliband: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 21 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 2048-49W, by my predecessor the right hon. Member for North-West Durham (Hilary Armstrong) to the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk). Information relating to Ministers overseas travel for 2006-07 will be published shortly.

Departments: Written Questions

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the role of special advisers is in producing answers to written parliamentary questions; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: Special advisers carry out their duties in accordance with the requirements of the "Code of Conduct for Special Advisers".

Lord Birt

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who occupies the office previously occupied by Lord Birt.

Edward Miliband: The room is currently occupied by staff of the Prime Minister's Office.

Ministers: Official Residences

Norman Baker: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster for which official residential properties used by Ministers the council tax liability was met  (a) by the Minister or Ministers occupying the property and  (b) their Department in (i) 2005-06, (ii) 2006-07 and (iii) 2007-08.

Edward Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given by the former Prime Minister to the hon. Members for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) and Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 2 December 2005,  Official Report, column 816W, and to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 15 January 2007,  Official Report, column 789W.

Official Residences: Theft

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether any  (a) works of art and  (b) (i) valuable furniture, (ii) porcelain and (iii) other items have been reported missing from (A) 10 Downing street, (B) 11 Downing street and (C) Admiralty House since 1977.

Edward Miliband: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions she has had with the National Sports Academy at Lilleshall, Shropshire on the prospect of it being used as an Olympic regional training facility for the 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The first class sporting facilities at the National Sports Centre at Lilleshall will prove attractive to visiting teams. I have had no discussions with the National Sports Centre on this subject; however I look forward to visiting the centre shortly.
	London 2012 has received over 700 applications from facilities across the UK that wish to feature in their Pre-Games Training Camp Guide, and is now carrying out an assessment and selection process.
	Facilities will be notified of their inclusion in the Guide at the beginning of 2008—which will be distributed to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) in August 2008.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Carbon Footprint

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what steps the Commissioners are taking to reduce their carbon footprint.

Stuart Bell: The national Church institutions are committed to the Church's Shrinking the Footprint campaign and are working hard to understand current energy consumption, reduce energy use in absolute terms and promote environmental best practice.
	Footprint is a substantial and ambitious campaign which flows from the universal support for such action given by General Synod and the personal commitment of the Archbishop of Canterbury as evidenced by the recent award made to him by the Parliamentary Renewable and Sustainable Energy Group.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Commission: Annual Reports

Alan Whitehead: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the annual report of the Electoral Commission for 2006-07 is to be published by the Commission.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission's Annual Report for 2006-07 was laid before Parliament on Thursday 19 July and has been published by the Commission as House of Commons Paper No. 851. Copies of the report are available to Members from the Vote Office.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Carter Ruck and Partners

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much the Commission paid in legal bills to Carter Ruck and Partners in each year since 1997.

Nick Harvey: The House of Commons Commission has paid £2,820 (inclusive of VAT) to Carter Ruck and Partners since 1 April 2003. Details of legal bills paid are not available for earlier years.

Legal Costs

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission how much was spent on legal  (a) advice and  (b) actions on behalf of (i) the Commission as a whole and (ii) individual members of the Commission in each year since 1997.

Nick Harvey: It is not possible to disaggregate legal costs specifically for the Commission or individual members of it. However, the total legal costs paid since 2003-04 have been:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2003-04 111,813 
			 2004-05 165,350 
			 2005-06 130,987 
			 2006-07 789,802 
			 2007-08 (first quarter) 54,416 
		
	
	Figures are not available prior to 2003-04.
	The information provided is based on costs paid to the Treasury Solicitors who act on behalf of the House of Commons and disbursements incurred during claims. Types of cases and advice received include: Personal injury claims made against the House, employment tribunals, FOI appeals, advice on MPs allowances and expenses, Parliamentary Privilege Bill, judicial review proceedings, Legal Services Bill and air passenger duty.
	The figures for 2004-05 to 2006-07 also include legal and project fees paid in order to resolve claims on Portcullis House and Normal Shaw South. These alone amounted to £96,154 (2004-05), £79,159 (2005-06) and £596,586 (2006-07).

Proof of Identity

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will take steps to replace the visitor stickers issued to visitors to the parliamentary estate with another form of temporary pass.

Nick Harvey: A new access control system for the parliamentary estate will be introduced in the autumn. Part of this project is to introduce an improved visitor management system, which is currently in development. The intention is to provide a paper visitor pass clipped to the person instead of the stickers used at present.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Diarrhoea

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the recent outbreak of diarrhoea in Afghanistan.

Shahid Malik: The provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah has not been contacted by either the provincial health director or any other local medical providers alerting them to a recent diarrhoea outbreak in Helmand. Civil and military (CIMIC) teams who are actively engaged in health programmes in Lashkar Gah are also not aware of any outbreak. If more specific information can be provided, the PRT will make further inquiries.
	The most effective way to deliver any aid to Afghanistan is to provide funding directly to the Afghan government. This ensures that the money is spent on what Afghans need and provides the best chance for building effective state institutions that will last. DFID provides around 80 per cent. of its aid in this way. Although we do not provide assistance specifically to the health sector, we are the largest donor to the Government's recurrent budget which, for example pays salaries of health workers.
	In July 2006, DFID announced a £30 million programme of support to the Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (HARDP). This programme increases economic opportunities for the rural poor of Helmand through a series of programmes operated by the government of Afghanistan. These programmes will provide essential assistance to the people of Helmand, including better water and sanitation.

Afghanistan: Diarrhoea

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to increase the availability of medical supplies to combat the recent diarrhoea outbreak in Helmand, Afghanistan following security threats in the region.

Shahid Malik: The provincial reconstruction team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah has not been contacted by either the provincial health director or any other local medical providers alerting them to a recent diarrhoea outbreak in Helmand. Civil and military (CIMIC) teams who are actively engaged in health programmes in Lashkar Gah are also not aware of any outbreak. If more specific information can be provided, the PRT will make further inquiries.
	DFID continues to help people have improved access to clean water and sanitation. In July 2006, DFID announced a £30 million programme of support to the Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (HARDP). This programme increases economic opportunities for the rural poor of Helmand through a series of programmes operated by the government of Afghanistan. These programmes will provide essential assistance to the people of Helmand, including better water and sanitation.

Africa: International Assistance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the nature is of his Department's relationship with the Africa Progress Panel.

Gareth Thomas: The Africa Progress Panel's objective is to maintain the momentum for delivery of high level commitments to Africa's development to which DFID is committed. It has an important part to play in holding donors and African countries alike to account for the promises made for Africa in the G8 summits and elsewhere.
	While DFID provides funds to the Africa Progress Panel, it is operationally independent. DFID is providing £1 million over three years (March 2007 to December 2010) to support a Secretariat that serves the panel, and cover the expenses of panel members. It is expected that the Africa Progress Panel will also be funded by others.

Departments: Postal Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what volume of correspondence his Department sent  (a) by Royal Mail and  (b) by other commercial delivery services in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for the use of other commercial delivery services.

Shahid Malik: The following table shows the volume of mail sent by DFID using Royal Mail and other commercial carriers in the last five years. Other commercial carriers have been used on the grounds of urgency, value for money and security. The vast majority of the mail by commercial carrier is in respect of a point-to-point contracted service between our two UK offices.
	
		
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Royal Mail 255,698 246,340 216,831 203,763 170,219 
			 Commercial carriers 199,123 134,129 118,583 105,800 93,386

Overseas Aid

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes his Department runs in  (a) the Democratic Republic of Congo,  (b) Tunisia and  (c) Thailand.

Shahid Malik: holding answer 12 July 2007
	We expect to provide £70 million through our programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2007-08, which is aimed at three broad objectives:
	(a) saving lives and meeting humanitarian needs;
	(b) supporting democratisation and reform of the army, police and justice systems, to consolidate peace and stability in DRC; and
	(c) expanding access to basic services and stimulating broad based economic growth through more equitable use of natural resources.
	DFID itself does not run programmes in DRC. Our programmes are implemented by local and international non-governmental organisations and multilateral agencies. Last year 1 per cent. of our funding also went through the government of DRC, and in future we would expect to provide more through government systems if these can be proven to be effective.
	DFID does not provide direct development assistance to Tunisia or Thailand which are middle-income countries. However, we provide significant support to countries in north Africa and the middle east through multilateral channels. In particular we will contribute a £1.5 billion share of the EC's European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument's (ENPI) £8.3 billion support from 2007 to 2013, which will include aid to Tunisia. DFID also provides funding to the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and the European Commission, which have programmes in Thailand.

TREASURY

Departments: Manpower

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what consideration is given to an individual's tax status by his Department and its executive agencies when offering  (a) employment and  (b) a consultancy contract; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many individuals claiming non-domicile tax status in the UK were born in the UK; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of people living in the UK who are eligible for non-domicile tax status; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  how many individuals  (a) successfully and  (b) unsuccessfully applied for non-domicile tax status in each of the last 10 years for which information is available; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: All individuals taking up employment or consultancy contracts with the Treasury Departments undergo background and security checks. However, we regard the tax status of individuals as being a private matter between themselves and the appropriate Tax Office of HM Revenue and Customs.
	We do not currently hold information on how many individuals claiming non-domicile tax status in the UK were born in the UK; how many individuals are eligible for non-domicile tax status in the UK; or, how many individuals have successfully applied for non-domicile tax status in each of the last 10 years.

Departments: Postal Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what volume of correspondence his Department sent  (a) by Royal Mail and  (b) by other commercial delivery services in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for the use of other commercial delivery services.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury uses Royal Mail for its postal services, and other companies for parcel and courier deliveries.
	
		
			   Number of items sent by Royal Mail  Number of parcel/courier deliveries 
			 2003 99,845 101 
			 2004 88,868 113 
			 2005 59,104 410 
			 2006 56,982 184 
		
	
	Information for 2002 is not available.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

David Taylor: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what mechanism is in place to levy road tax on vehicles used in the UK but registered in other EU member states.

Angela Eagle: European Union (EU) vehicles (excluding commercial vehicles) circulating temporarily within or between member states are allowed under EC Directive 83/182 to be used on public roads without the need to register or license in the host country. These provisions limit visits to six months in any 12-month period and the vehicle must be compliant with the registration and licensing requirements of its home country. Any vehicle used in this country for more than six months in any 12 must be registered and licensed with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA). In addition, where the keeper of the vehicle becomes resident in this country, the vehicle must immediately be registered and licensed here.
	The Department for Transport is currently undertaking a feasibility study to explore ways of delivering better targeted enforcement on foreign heavy goods vehicles.

First Solution Money Transfer: Insolvency

Sally Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the impact on UK residents of the collapse of First Solution Money Transfer Ltd.

Kitty Ussher: In light of the recent financial difficulties experienced by the money transfer company, First Solution Money Transfer Ltd., the Companies Investigation Branch of the Insolvency Service, within the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, is carrying out an examination of the facts of the case. Further information is set out in my written ministerial statement, which was issued to the House on 11 July.
	The Government welcome the announcement by the Sir William Beveridge Foundation on 16 July that an independent help line and support fund will be set up to provide advice and assistance to members of the Bangladeshi community affected. I will be making a personal donation to the fund, and would encourage others who are able to do so.

HM Revenue and Customs: Location

Simon Burns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made on the inquiry into the future of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) offices; whether there are plans to relocate the Chelmsford HMRC offices; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: For the purposes of HMRC's regional review programme the two Chelmsford offices have been grouped in a cluster with Witham. No firm date has yet been set for the review of these offices but it will take place between this summer and early next year. Whatever the outcome of the review the inquiry centres housed in two of the offices will be retained in their current localities.

Home Information Packs

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the written submissions by HM Revenue and Customs to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department for Communities and Local Government on home information packs.

Angela Eagle: Representations on the Home Condition Report register were made by the Valuation Office Agency, an executive agency of HM Revenue and Customs. The information was provided in confidence and disclosure would therefore be inappropriate.

Inheritance Tax

Alistair Burt: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in  (a) inheritance tax revenue and  (b) stamp duty revenue on property due to fiscal drag since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: No such estimates have been made. Budget 2007 announced that the inheritance tax nil rate band would rise by more than forecast inflation to £312,000 in 2008-09 and to £325,000 in 2009-10. The initial stamp duty threshold was doubled from £60,000 to £120,000 in Budget 2005 and further raised to £125,000 in Budget 2006.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which taxes are levied for reasons which include an aspect of meeting an environmental policy objective; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: Those taxes (and tax reliefs) that contribute towards meeting the Government's environmental policy objectives are set out in Table 7.2 of the Budget document.
	I would also like to refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 July 2007,  Official Report, column 443W.

Unemployment: Young People

David Gauke: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many economically inactive 18 to 24-year-olds there were in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 1997, broken down by (i) region and (ii) gender.

Angela Eagle: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 23 July 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about the levels of economically inactive people aged 18 to 24 by (i) region and (ii) gender in (a) 2006 and (b) 1997. (152030)
	The attached table shows the numbers of economically inactive people aged 18 to 24 by region and gender for 1997 and 2006. The estimates cover the three month period ending December each year, and are not seasonally adjusted.
	Each month the ONS publishes the latest estimates of economic inactivity by age in the Labour Market Statistics Regional First Release available in Table 10 in the attached link. http://www.statistics.gov.uk/onlineproducts/lms_regional.asp. This data is consistent with the data given in the table overleaf.
	Estimates are taken from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Economically inactive( 1)  people aged 18 to 24 by region and gender 1997 and 2006, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousand 
			  Three months ending December each year  All persons  Men  Women 
			  1997
			 United Kingdom(2) 1,191 479 712 
			 North East 60 22 38 
			 North West 140 58 82 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 113 45 69 
			 East Midlands 68 24 44 
			 West Midlands 111 47 64 
			 East 82 32 50 
			 London 198 91 107 
			 South East 144 59 86 
			 South West 78 29 49 
			 Wales 72 29 43 
			 Scotland 94 37 57 
			 Northern Ireland 34 10 24 
			 
			  2006
			 United Kingdom(2) 1,430 608 822 
			 North East 68 29 38 
			 North West 170 77 94 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 118 41 77 
			 East Midlands 95 43 52 
			 West Midlands 139 59 80 
			 East 95 38 56 
			 London 253 110 143 
			 South East 155 65 90 
			 South West 106 50 56 
			 Wales 65 28 37 
			 Scotland 113 46 66 
			 Northern Ireland 59 24 35 
			 (1 )Economically inactive people are those who are neither in employment or unemployed.  (2 )Due to slight methodological differences between the way the national and regional LFS estimates have been adjusted for the 2001 Census there may be small differences between the UK totals and the sum of the regional components. The estimates in this table have been weighted to the 2005 mid-year population estimates.   Source: ONS Labour Force Survey (ONS)

VAT: Registration

Paul Truswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many VAT registration applications were received in each of the last five years; what the average time taken to process such applications was in each year; what the target time is to process such applications; and how many and what proportion of applications were processed within that target time in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: VAT registration is the entry point to Missing Trader Intra-Community and other fraud—which reduced VAT receipts by an estimated £2 billion to £3 billion (2005-06). It is right that HM Revenue and Customs take steps to stop those who would abuse the system.
	However, HMRC recognise that there has been a problem in recent months with delays in processing the VAT registration applications of genuine businesses. HMRC has put in place plans to improve the processing of registrations and already have additional staff in post and IT investment under way.
	
		
			   Number of applications received  Average processing time (95 per cent.)( 1)  Target time  How many/what proportion processed within target 
			 2002-03 257,139 (2)n/a 15 working days 248,910 (96.8 per cent.) 
			 2003-04 299,043 n/a 15 working days 278,409 (93.1 per cent.) 
			 2004-05 269,515 n/a 15 working days 262,238 (97.3 per cent.) 
			 2005-06 284,804 n/a 15 working days 267,431 (93.9 per cent.) 
			 2006-07 285,176 29 days 14 calendar days 77,568 (27.2 per cent.) 
			 (1)Average measurement made on basis of 95 per cent. of low risk cases (2)Revenue and Customs did not record the average processing times for years 2002-03 to 2005-06.

Welfare Tax Credits

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people were  (a) overpaid and  (b) underpaid tax credits in each year since their inception in (i) Hampshire and (ii) England.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the numbers of families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by county and country, based on final family circumstances and incomes, for the years 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are available in the HMRC publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Finalised Awards. Supplement on Payments. Geographical Analysis", for each relevant year. These publications are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Hereford

Paul Keetch: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was overpaid to recipients of tax credits in Hereford constituency in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 July 2007,  Official Report, column 957W to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mr. Jackson).

Welfare Tax Credits: Overpayments

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was overpaid to recipients of tax credits in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in the last 12 months.

Jane Kennedy: Estimates of the numbers of families with tax credits awards, including information on overpayments and underpayments by constituency and county, based on final family circumstances and incomes, for 2005-06, is available in the HMRC publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards 2005-06. Supplements on Payments in 2005-06. Geographical Analysis", which is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	Estimates for 2006-07 tax credit awards are due to be published in May 2008 when family circumstances and incomes have been finalised.

Welfare Tax Credits: York

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in City of York constituency receive  (a) child and  (b) working tax credit; and what the average value of tax credits to those households was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The average number of households benefiting from either child or working tax credits in 2005-06, or receiving the equivalent support through out-of-work benefits, by constituency, is shown in "Child and Working Tax Credit Statistics. Finalised Annual Awards. 2005-06. Geographical Analyses". This publication also includes average annual entitlement for 2005-06 and is available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	The publication referred to shows that there were around 9.5 thousand families benefiting from child and working tax credits in the City Of York constituency in 2005-06. It also shows that the average annual entitlement to these families was £3,086.

TRANSPORT

A27: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many accidents there were on the A27 between Lewes and Polegate in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table gives the Highways Agency's record of road traffic accidents that have occurred on the A27 between Lewes and Polegate in each year since 1997.
	
		
			   Total number of accidents 
			 1997 78 
			 1998 58 
			 1999 56 
			 2000 63 
			 2001 60 
			 2002 59 
			 2003 59 
			 2004 61 
			 2005 57 
			 2006 61 
		
	
	The accident rate for this road between Lewes and Polegate is 24.04 Personal Injury Accidents (PIA) per 100 million vehicle kilometres. The national average figure for this type of road is 24 PIAs per 100 million vehicle kilometres.

Aviation: Noise

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment her Department has made of the environmental impact and noise pollution caused by private aircraft;
	(2)  what plans she has to introduce measures to reduce noise and noise pollution caused by private aircraft.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is not aware of any assessment of the environmental impact and noise pollution caused by private aircraft. Propeller driven aircraft weighing under 9,000 kg—the main "general aviation" aircraft—have to comply with an internationally agreed noise certification standard, unless they were on the UK register prior to 1980. This standard was tightened for aircraft certificated after 1999. We expect aerodromes to set and to enforce appropriate rules to minimise noise nuisance, reflecting local circumstances. Guidance on recommended measures to help reduce the noise related nuisance from light aircraft is available on the Civil Aviation Authority's website (www.caa.co.uk).

Biofuels

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much biofuel the UK produced in 2005-06; and what the estimated level of biofuel production is for 2007-08.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Total UK biofuel sales for the financial year 2005-06 amounted to some 139 million litres, and provisional figures suggest that total UK biofuel sales for the financial year 2006-07 amounted to some 327 million litres. Further details are available via:
	http://www.uktradeinfo.com
	Some of these biofuels were produced in the UK from a variety of feedstocks, and some were imported. The Department does not hold precise information on the breakdown between domestically produced and imported biofuels, nor does the Department have a precise forecast for UK biofuel production in 2007-08.
	The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, due to be introduced in April 2008, will significantly increase the demand for biofuels in the UK. A number of major new UK biofuel production facilities are due to come on stream over the next few years to help meet this additional demand. UK biofuel producers will, however, continue to need to compete with overseas producers to supply the UK market.

Departments: Early Retirement

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of her staff took early retirement in the last five years; at what cost; what grades of staff took early retirement; and what percentage of each grade took early retirement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table represents the number of staff exits for the Department for Transport and its agencies broken down by grade and the total cost to the Department for the last five complete financial years. Information relating to percentage of staff who took early retirement broken down by grade can be given only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Grade  Number/£ 
			 AA 57 
			 AO 239 
			 EO 126 
			 HEO 113 
			 SEO 139 
			 Grade 7 54 
			 Grade 6 8 
			 SCS Payband 1 16 
			 SCS Payband 2 2 
			 SCS Payband 3 1 
			 Not known 52 
			 Total 807 
			 Total cost (£) 31,271,609

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legislative provisions introduced by her Department since 1997 have not yet been brought into force.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have placed in the Libraries of the House a list of the provisions in Acts for which the Department for Transport has lead responsibility, which have received Royal Assent since 1 January 1997 and which remain to be brought into force.

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what legislative provisions introduced by her Department's predecessors since 1997 have been repealed.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have placed in the Libraries of the House a list of the provisions in Acts for which the Department for Transport has lead responsibility, which have received Royal Assent since 1 January 1997 and which have been repealed.

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criminal offences have been created by primary legislation sponsored by her Department since October 2006.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have placed in the Library of the House a list of the criminal offences created by primary legislation which received Royal Assent on or after 1 October 2006 and for which the Department for Transport has lead responsibility. The list includes  (a) provisions that reform or modernise existing offences and  (b) provisions that confer power to create new offences under secondary legislation.

Departments: Official Visits

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was spent on overnight accommodation by civil servants within her Department's areas of responsibilities in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport (central) and four of its agencies spent a combined total of £3,102,287 on overnight accommodation and associated subsistence in the last 12 months. The remaining three agencies do not record overnight accommodation separately from other business travel expenses, and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Racial Harassment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints of racial abuse relating to staff for which her Department is responsible have been  (a) investigated and  (b) upheld in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport (C) and its agencies have had three complaints in the past 12 months, all of which are still under investigation.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many overseas visits were made by  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers within her responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the "Civil Service Management Code" and the "Ministerial Code".

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Shrewsbury

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, columns 394-5W, on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency: Shrewsbury, how long the Shrewsbury Office of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency took to process the vehicle registration application in respect of  (a) DX07OVF (Chassis No. ending 330934) and  (b) CU07XDZ (Chassis No. ending 177735); and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: While every effort is made to adhere to published service times, fluctuations in workloads can occasionally result in a failure to meet targets. Application forms to register CU07XDZ and DX07OVF were received at the Shrewsbury office of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) on 3 July 2007, but were not processed until 10 July 2007. Registration Certificates for both vehicles were issued on 13 July 2007.

Driving Under Influence: Accidents

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) car drivers and  (b) passengers died in drink driving-related accidents in (i) December and (ii) January in each year since 2003, broken down by local authority area.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is not available by local authority area.

Driving Under Influence: Accidents

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents were caused by drink-driving in each year since 2003, broken down by local authority area.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The estimated number of personal injury road accidents involving at least one driver or rider over the legal alcohol limit can be found in table 2a of the 'Drinking and Driving' article in 'Road Casualties Great Britain', available at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/accidents/casualtiesgbar/roadcasualtiesgreatbritain2005
	Estimates are calculated on a national basis. Local authority estimates are not available.

Driving: Licensing

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the implications of the arrangements by which a Chinese driving licence can be exchanged for a British licence, via a Hong Kong licence, for road safety in England; how many licences have been issued in exchange for Hong Kong licences; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The arrangements which allow the exchange of Hong Kong licences for British licences are governed by legislation.
	This requires the exchange of a Hong Kong licence even if it was issued as a result of a test passed elsewhere. There is no discretion but officials are considering the effect of the legislation.
	Approximately 4,500 Hong Kong licences are exchanged for a British licence each year. Figures are not available for how many were issued as a result of a test passed in Hong Kong as this information is not required for the exchange process.

First Great Western

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make it her policy to terminate the franchise held by First Great Western; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: First Great Western is not currently in breach of either the punctuality or reliability benchmarks specified in the Franchise Agreement.

Garage and Petrol Stations: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many filling stations in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex are (i) able to accommodate and (ii) offer alternative fuel types for cars.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This information is not held centrally by Government. However information on geographical locations is available on the Energy Saving Trust website at:
	www.est.org.uk
	The Government provide funds to the Energy Saving Trust to run their Infrastructure grant programme. The grants assist the building of refuelling stations for alternative fuels (natural gas/biogas, hydrogen and bio-ethanol).

M3: Road Traffic

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the volume of traffic  (a) on the M3 motorway between junctions 6 and 7 and  (b) entering and leaving the motorway at those junctions was in each year since 1993.

Tom Harris: Traffic data on the volume of traffic on the M3 motorway between junctions 6 and 7 are only available from 1995 to 2006. Information on traffic entering and leaving the motorway at these junctions is only available for 2005 and 2006. The information is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  Vo lume of traffic M3 junctions 6-7 annual average daily traffic flows in vehicles/day 
			   Junction 6-7 eastbound  Junction 7-6 westbound 
			 1995 38,222 37,946 
			 1996 39,387 39,303 
			 1997 41,177 40,956 
			 1998 42,331 42,770 
			 1999 43,138 43,418 
			 2000 (1)n/a 43,995 
			 2001 44,938 45,122 
			 2002 45,108 43,948 
			 2003 45,074 45,298 
			 2004 45,060 44,217 
			 2005 44,952 43,744 
			 2006 45,930 46,616 
			 (1) Not available as the automatic traffic counting sites were out of operation.  Source: Southern Region Trunk Road Traffic Monitoring Reports 2005 and 2006, HA TRADS2. 
		
	
	
		
			  Volume of traffic entering M3 junctions  6 and annual average daily traffic flows in vehicles/day 
			   Junction 6 on-slip westbound  Junction 6 on-slip eastbound  Junction 7 on-slip westbound  Junction 7 on-slip eastbound 
			 2005(1) 8,032 15,145 4,014 1,744 
			 2006 8,550 13,568 4,233 3,936 
			 (1 )Data not available prior to year stated as automatic traffic counting sites on slip roads were not installed until 2005.  Source: Southern Region Trunk Road Traffic Monitoring Reports 2005 and 2006, HA TRADS2. 
		
	
	
		
			  Volume of traffic leaving M3 junctions 6 and 7annual average daily traffic flows in vehicles/day 
			   Junction 6 off-slip westbound  Junction 6 off-slip eastbound  Junction 7 off-slip westbound  Junction 7 off-slip eastbound 
			 2005(1) 12,879 8,169 3,024 4,034 
			 2006 13,100 8,233 2,971 4,070 
			 (1) Data not available prior to year stated as automatic traffic counting sites on slip roads were not installed until 2005.  Source: Southern Region Trunk Road Traffic Monitoring Reports 2005 and 2006. HA TRADS2.

Metronet

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate her Department has made of the public financial liabilities which may arise from Metronet going into administration.

Rosie Winterton: Transport for London and London Underground are in discussions with PPP administrators to identify the best long term financial outcome resulting from the administration of Metronet's activities. It would be premature to comment on any liabilities while those discussions are still in their early stages.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what requirements for  (a) MOT and  (b) vehicle insurance are placed on owners of vehicles used in the UK but registered in other EU member states.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information is as follows.
	 (a) All vehicles have to comply with the minimum standards of roadworthiness irrespective of the country in which the vehicle is registered. If they do not their drivers and operators can be prosecuted and fined. The vehicle can also be prohibited from moving until necessary repairs have been carried out.
	 (b) European law requires all vehicles registered in any member state to have insurance for the use of that vehicle in any other member state. That insurance must cover the driver's liability for any personal injury or property damage caused to any third party.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of vehicles other than HGVs and LGVs failed the MOT test for reasons limited to exhaust emissions in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) is responsible for the operation of the MOT Scheme. Statistics regarding the number of vehicles that failed the MOT test on the grounds of emissions standards are published annually in VOSA's Effectiveness Report. This is available on line at www.vosa.gov.uk and in the House of Commons Library, Business and Transport Section.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to consult on changes to the UK's MOT testing regime.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We will be consulting shortly.

Motorways: Repairs and Maintenance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average cost per mile is to resurface a motorway with  (a) noise reducing materials and  (b) non-noise reducing materials; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: Motorways are only resurfaced with noise reducing materials. The average cost per mile for resurfacing a motorway, with three lanes in each direction plus a hard shoulder with a noise reducing surface, is approximately 180,000. This excludes the costs for traffic management, contract preliminaries, any road strengthening and other consequential works.

Official Cars: Ministers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many Ministers have opted not to take up the use of a ministerial car since May 2005.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Since 2005, one Minister has opted not to take-up the use of a ministerial car through the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Railways: EU Action

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what timescale will be covered by the UK's proposed derogation from the EU proposal 2004/0048 (COD) for a European Parliament and Council directive on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains on the Community's rail network.

Tom Harris: The renewable derogation allowing member states to disapply on a time-limited basis provisions in the proposed directive on the certification of train drivers operating locomotives and trains is for a period of 10 years.
	The UK is minded to invoke this derogation. However, details of its implementation, especially with regard to any future renewal of the derogation, will be subject to consultation with the industry and users once the final text has been agreed both by the European Council and the European Parliament.

Railways: Scotland

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with Ministers in the Scottish Executive on the development of high speed rail links between Scotland and London.

Tom Harris: The Secretary of State has not met the Scottish Executive to discuss a high-speed rail link between Scotland and London.
	Department for Transport Ministers and officials regularly consult the Scottish Executive on reserved railway matters which are of strategic importance to Scotland, including issues concerning cross-border capacity and franchising.
	The Government will set out their position on high-speed rail links in the HLOS Rail White Paper later in the week.

Railways: Vandalism

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many  (a) incidents of and  (b) prosecutions there were for (i) vandalism, (ii) informed vandalism and (iii) trespass on rail lines in each year since 2001-02;
	(2)  how many incidences of arson on the railways there were in each year since 2000, broken down by  (a) train operating company and  (b) line.

Tom Harris: This information is not held by the Department for Transport but by the British Transport Police who can be contacted at: British Transport Police, 25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN, E-mail:
	general.enquiries@btp.pnn.police.uk.

Roads: Accidents

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport in what percentage of road accidents resulting in the death or serious injury in each of the last five years vehicle defects were found to be a contributory factor.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The proportion of reported personal injury road accidents which had vehicle defects as a contributory factor was 2.6 per cent. in 2005 and 2.3 per cent in 2006.
	2005 is the earliest year for which this information is available.

Severn Barrage

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make an assessment of the potential of the proposed Severn Barrage to provide a new rail link from South Wales to London and the South East; and if she will make a statement.

Tom Harris: This would be primarily a matter for the promoters of the proposed Severn Barrage to consider, but the Department would be pleased to co-operate in any such assessment.

Transport: Private Finance Initiatives

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many transport projects were funded by private finance initiatives in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority.

Rosie Winterton: The HM Treasury website provides updated details (on a six monthly basis) of awarded PFI projects overseen by the Department for Transport. The project details include the awarding authority, date of financial close, total capital value and the annual unitary charge payment. This information is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people are employed by the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) publishes the average number of staff employed (full-time equivalent) in its annual report and accounts. This is available online at www.vosa.gov.uk and in the House of Commons Library, Business and Transport Section.

Vehicle and Operator Services Agency

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she expects the study by Deloitte and Touche into the possible outsourcing of elements of the work of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency to be presented to the Department for Transport Board.

Jim Fitzpatrick: An update on progress on the outsourcing feasibility study will be presented to the DfT Board in the autumn.

Vehicle and Operators Services Agency: Property

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what her estimate is of the value of the land and buildings used by the Vehicle and Operators Services Agency for its annual HGV and PSV inspections.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The net book value for existing use of the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) estate used for testing HGV and PSV vehicles was 78.3 million as at end March 2007.

DEFENCE

Aircraft Carriers: Procurement

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be able to make an announcement on the order for the Future Aircraft Carriers; and what the reason is for the time taken to do so.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 18 July 2007
	 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1181W, to the hon. Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Mr. Williams).

Armed Forces: Council Tax

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1456W to the hon. Member for the Forest of Dean, on the armed forces: council tax, what conclusion he has reached on support for the council tax costs in England of service personnel serving overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: Work is ongoing to find a resolution to this issue and an announcement will be made in due course.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military personnel are  (a) deployed and  (b) stationed in each country outside the UK.

Bob Ainsworth: The approximate number of UK service personnel deployed by operation and location as at 9 July 2007 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Operation  Number 
			 Total 13,500 
			  O f which:  
			 Telic 6,800 
			  O f which:  
			 Iraq 5,500 
			 Other (including 'at sea') 1,300 
			   
			 Herrick 6,200 
			  O f which:  
			 Afghanistan 6,200 
			   
			 Oculus 240 
			  O f which:  
			 Kosovo 180 
			 Bosnia 60 
			   
			 UN 320 
			  O f which:  
			 Cyprus 290 
			 Other(1) 30 
			 (1 )Other UN locations have fewer than 10 personnel per country and include Georgia, Nepal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia.  Note: Due to rounding methods used, totals may not always equal the sum of the parts. 
		
	
	The strength of UK regular forces posted outside the UK is available in Tri-Service Publication (TSP) 6Global Location of UK Regular Forces. The most recent publication show the numbers of service personnel at 1 October 2006.
	Copies of TSP 6 are available in the Library of the House and are also available at:
	www.dasa.mod.uk/natstats/tsp6/tsp6_oct06.pdf.
	Due to the introduction of a new joint personnel administration system (JPA), TSP6 RAF location data for 1 April 2006 are provisional and subject to review, and after 1 April 2006 are not currently available.
	The Defence Analytical Services Agency is currently validating JPA RAF location data and expect to publish provisional RAF figures for 1 July 2006 and 1 October 2006 by the end of July 2007.

Armed Forces: Homosexuality

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the uniformed participation of members of the armed forces in Gay Pride events.

Derek Twigg: In accordance with Queen's Regulations, decisions on whether armed forces personnel can attend Gay Pride or any other public events are a matter for the chain of command.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel are eligible for the key worker discount; and how many used the discount in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: All armed forces personnel stationed in London, the East and South East of England, with a household income of less than 60,000, are eligible to be considered for the key worker living (KWL) programme. The scheme was only extended to include Service personnel in September 2006, and the first two beneficiaries have moved into their new homes. Other applicants are at various stages in the process.

Armed Forces: Key Worker Living Scheme

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel are eligible for the key worker discount in Tamworth constituency; and how many have used the discount in the last five years.

Derek Twigg: None. Only armed forces personnel stationed in London, the East and South East of England with a household income of less than 60,000, are currently eligible to be considered for the Key Worker Living programme. That scheme was extended to include service personnel in September 2006, and the scope for extending similar arrangements to other areas of Great Britain, where there are major military establishments, is being explored with the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Armed Forces: Smoking

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the ban on smoking in enclosed public places applies to military vehicles.

Derek Twigg: The ban on smoking in enclosed public places applies to all military vehicles and has been in place for sometime.

Army Board: Alcoholic Drinks

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on alcohol for entertainment at the homes of the non-ministerial members of the Army Board in the last year, broken down by  (a) event and  (b) type of alcohol.

Derek Twigg: The entertainment expenses claimed by non-ministerial members of the Army Board, as presented on 17 April 2007,  Official Report, column 535W, and 19 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1761W, include the costs of alcohol for the official functions in question.
	Neither the Assistant Chief of the General Staff nor 2nd Permanent Under-Secretary incurred any expenditure on alcohol for official entertainment.
	The Chief of the General Staff and his immediate predecessor claimed costs of approximately 521.33 for alcohol expenses for official entertainment in 2006, broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Date  Event/reason  Amount () 
			 7 February Lunch with Chief of the General Staff, Italy (1)90.00 
			 15 March The Friends of the Army Dinner (1)90.00 
			 21-25 May The Kermit Roosevelt Lecture Tour 94.47 
			 21 June Lunch with Chief of the Defence Staff New Zealand (2)25.00 
			 16-20 July Visit of Vice Chief of the Army Staff Pakistan 96.26 
			 12 December Lunch with Chief of the General Staff Sweden 125.60 
			 (1 )Estimated costs based on the cost of events of a similar nature. (2 )Estimated cost. 
		
	
	The Adjutant-General claimed 394.83 for the cost of alcohol for official entertainment in 2006. A breakdown is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Date  Event/reason  Amount () 
			 23 January Visit of Master General of Ordnance 24.45 
			 13 February Visit of Quarter Master General with Director Army Legal Services and Senior Defence Lecturer, Cranfield 28.54 
			 20 February Army 3-star officer and senior civilian representatives 21.36 
			 1 March Visit of Senior Minister of the Catholic Group (Army) 28.00 
			 30 March Visit of Assistant Chief General Staff 35.34 
			 27 April Military and civilian staff Headquarters Adjutant General 31.12 
			 8 May Visit of Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel) and senior officers concerned with welfare/personnel issues 23.34 
			 12 June Visit of CinC Land Command 35.82 
			 23 August Visit of Judge Advocate General and hosting of Private Secretary to TRH Princes William and Harry 22.70 
			 31 August Visit of Governor Royal Hospital Chelsea 27.99 
			 12 September Visit of Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets) regarding Territorial Army soldiers operational and welfare needs 22.74 
			 4 October Visit of Chief Constable Wiltshire Constabulary 19.25 
			 17 October Sir Max Hastings, General Sir Mike Jackson, Sir Ronnie Hempel and senior military personnel 26.62 
			 15 October Visit of Minister of State for Armed Forces and Member for Air Personnel 20.37 
			 21 November Visit of Chief Constable Hampshire Constabulary (enhancement of relations and working best practice) 27.19 
		
	
	The General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland claimed 770.63 for the cost of alcohol for official entertainment in 2006. The events were:
	
		
			  Date  Event/reason  Amount () 
			 21 January Unit Cohesiveness event. Civilian and military staff from throughout the Command 57.29 
			 2 February Entertainment to foster relationships within the wider community 51.45 
			 9 February Visit by Dir CTUK Ops, MOD 51.51 
			 13 May Unit Cohesion event. Civilian and military staff from throughout the Command 20.29 
			 15-18 May Visit by GOC NI (designate) 4.75 
			 18 May Entertainment to foster relationships within the wider community 49.02 
			 1 August Unit cohesiveness event. Civilian and military staff from throughout the Command 16.95 
			 11 September Entertainment to foster relationships within the wider community 60.39 
			 19 September Entertainment to foster relationships within the wider community 70.02 
			 17 October Entertainment to foster relationships within the wider community 69.63 
			 24 October Entertainment to foster relationships within the wider community 49.91 
			 21 November Entertainment to foster relationships within the wider community 62.07 
			 23 November Visit by Deputy Adjutant General 35.48 
			 6 December Entertainment to foster relationships within the wider community 63.61 
			 19 December Unit cohesiveness event. Civilian and military staff from throughout the Command 108.26 
		
	
	The Commander in Chief Land Command claimed 1,294.60 for the cost of alcohol for official entertainment in 2006, broken down as follows:
	
		
			  Date  Event/reason  Amount () 
			 25 January Hosting visit by UK dignitaries 152.59 
			 5 March Hosting visit by UK dignitaries 101.70 
			 6 March Hosting foreign visitor 26.10 
			 21 March Unit cohesiveness 136.98 
			 4 April Hosting visit By UK dignitaries 87.24 
			 18 April Unit cohesiveness 72.90 
			 18 May Entertainment to foster relationships with wider community 143.63 
			 23 May Unit cohesiveness 117.36 
			 10 June Hosting UK officials 28.39 
			 17 June Hosting prominent members of the civilian community 195.40 
			 18 July Hosting visit by overseas dignitaries 44.94 
			 20 July Hosting visit by overseas dignitaries 89.17 
			 14 November Visit of Spanish Commander in Chief 98.20 
		
	
	All expenditure on official entertainment is subject to strict departmental rules and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in Government Accounting.
	It has not been possible to break down the expenditure on alcohol by type as this information is not held.

AWE Aldermaston: Press

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to the public purse was of holding the media open day at AWE Aldermaston in June 2007; what plans he has to hold other such open days at atomic weapons establishment sites; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The only identifiable cost of the AWE media open day was 494.40. These costs were for catering and the production of press packs. There will have been other small unquantifiable costs associated with employees' time. The media open day was organised to coincide with an on-site exhibition for employees, contractors and their families. This was in response to the House of Commons Defence Committee's (HCDC) view that there was a case for greater openness regarding the work undertaken at AWE. The Government response to the HCDC's report 'The Future of the UK's Strategic Nuclear Deterrent: the Manufacturing and Skills Base' (HC 59 dated 19 December 2006) provides further details.
	Currently we have no plans to hold another media open day at an AWE site.

Battlefield Artillery Target Engagement System

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original estimated cost was of the Battlefield Artillery Target Engagement System when the project was originally undertaken; what the latest estimated total outturn cost is; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Battlefield Artillery Target Engagement System was brought into service in the early 1980s, and declared out of service in December 2006. Information on the costs of the system is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

British Merchant Fleet

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the strategic implications of the decline in the number of British Merchant Navy vessels.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 18 July 2007
	 No formal assessment has been conducted recently. The MOD's strategic shipping requirements are met initially by the six British flagged and manned roll-on roll-off vessels provided under a private finance initiative.
	Additional requirements are met under reciprocal arrangements with allies and from the wider commercial market.
	The recent House of Commons Defence Committee enquiry into Strategic Lift, whilst noting the good arrangements for securing additional sealift, recommended that the MOD undertake an analysis of the reducing commercial shipping market. The MOD is currently considering its response to this recommendation.

British Merchant Fleet

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the ability of  (a) the Merchant Navy and  (b) the UK maritime skills base to provide adequate strategic assets to support future operations.

Bob Ainsworth: No formal assessment has been conducted recently. The MOD's strategic shipping requirements are met initially by the six British flagged and manned roll-on roll-off vessels provided under a private finance initiative. Additional requirements are met under reciprocal arrangements with allies and from the wider commercial market.
	The recent House of Commons Defence Committee inquiry into Strategic Lift, while noting the good arrangements for securing additional sealift, recommended that the MOD undertake an analysis of the reducing commercial shipping market. The MOD is currently considering its response to this recommendation.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Defence Export Services Organisation.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer given to the hon. Member for Twickenham (Dr. Cable) on 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 13W.

Defence Medical Services: ICT

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme has cost to date; and how much he expects it to have cost to establish once fully operational.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 16 July 2007
	The total cost of the Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) to date, including the concept and assessment phases of the programme, has been 14.7 million. Full operating capability is expected to be achieved in 2010, by which time 48 million is expected to have been spent.
	The total programme costs, over the 10-year lifespan of the system, are expected to be 107 million. All figures are exclusive of VAT.
	DMCIP will provide a single integrated health record (including a dental record) for all patients treated by the Defence Medical Services, instantly accessible by all medical personnel who need to treat a patient, a range of improved administrative and patient management tools, and a comprehensive management information system. DMICP will be available from all fixed medical and dental centres in the UK, Germany and certain other permanent bases overseas; a deployed capability will be available on operations from late2008; and from 2010 DMCIP will be linked to NHS Care Records Service.

Departments: BAE Systems

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1132W, on Department: BAE Systems, how many of those applicants granted permission to join BAE in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007 had dealt with (i) the receipt of tenders from BAE and (ii) the award of contracts to BAE, alone or as part of a team, while employed by his Department; which jobs those granted permission to join BAE took up; and what jobs those people had performed while in his Department.

Des Browne: holding answer 16 July 2007
	The number of those granted permission to join BAE Systems in 2006 and 2007 are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			   Granted permission to join BAE Systems  Who had dealt with receipt of tenders  Involved with contract awards (alone or as part of a team) 
			 2006 21 4 4 
			 2007 (to date) 12 4 4 
		
	
	It is not possible to confirm from records where the applicant actually took up the post, but the proposed post in the application, i.e. the last post in MOD, were as follows:
	
		
			  BAE post  Last MOD post 
			 UK Customer Relations Naval Adviser 
			 Procurement Adviser DG, Trafalgar 200th Anniversary 
			 Senior Software Assurance Engineer Quality Assurance Representative 
			 Executive Secretary to Tornado Director PA/Harrier Assistant Director 
			 Sales Support Regional Director/Central DESO 
			 Team Leader Supply Chain Tornado IPT 
			 Procurement Manager AD/DG Log Proc 
			 EVP Market Development On secondment to BAE 
			 Test Pilot Equipment Capability 
			 Maintenance Programme Manager Engineering Manager 
			 Consultant Supply Engagement Manager 
			 Project Ldr Comms Suite Senior Equipment Support Manager 
			 Marketing Development and Sales Procurement Manager 
			 Consultant , defence matters UK Government agreements with Saudi MOD 
			 Typhoon Information Systems Officer Typhoon Information Support Officer 
			 Resource Engineer Managing Technical Demo Programme 
			 Senior rep on RAF Station OC Depth Support Manager 
			 Head of maintenance AD Depth Support Tornado 
			 Bid Team Niteworks Business Co-ordinator 
			 Senior Quality Assurance Engineer Logistic Sustainability Deployability Audit 
			 ILS Manager ILS Engineer 
			 Business Manager, Light Munitions CO Duke of Lancaster Regiment 
			 Cost and Pricing Manager Project Manager Army Base Repair Organisation 
			 Avionics Implementation Manager Tornado Project Office 
			 Programme Manager AD Engineering Policy 
			 Trials and Delivery Manager OC Comms Services Group 
			 Test Pilot Test Pilot 
			 Senior Support Project Engineer Tornado Project Support 
			 Director of International Maintenance and Logistics DG Logistics DLO 
			 Engineering Support Engineer Harrier Engineering Authority 
			 Tornado Customer Liaison Manager Tornado IPT Manager 
			 Export Support for Typhoon Regional Director for DESO 
			 Flying Training SO Fast Jet Training

Departments: Buildings

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what office accommodation standards apply to civilian staff in his Department's buildings.

Derek Twigg: The scale (including floor space standards) of provision of MOD office accommodation is directed by guidelines within Joint Services Publication (JSP) 315Services Accommodation Code. Within the JSP, Scale 45 applies to office accommodation for both military and civilian personnel.
	A copy of JSP 315 can be found on the Defence Estates internet site at:
	http://www.defence-estates.mod.uk/publications/jsp/index.php

Departments: Flint Bishop

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made payment to Flint Bishop Solicitors since 1997.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence has no record of any payments being made to Flint Bishop Solicitors since 1997.

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what legislative provisions introduced by his Department's predecessors since 1997 have been repealed.

Derek Twigg: None. The Ministry of Defence has been unchanged since its establishment pursuant to the Defence Transfer of Functions Act 1964, and therefore has had no predecessors since 1997.

Departments: Official Engagements

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his official engagements were for the week of 9 to 15 July.

Des Browne: On Monday 9 July I was in London where I had a series of meetings with officials from the Ministry of Defence and the Scotland Office. On Tuesday 10 July I attended Cabinet and answered oral questions for the Scotland Office before travelling to Berlin for a bilateral meeting with the German Defence Minister. I returned to London on Wednesday for further meetings with officials from both my departments. On Thursday 12 July, I attended the 90th anniversary world war one commemorations in Tyne Cot, Belgium, before travelling to Brussels for a meeting with the Secretary General of the Council of the European Union on Friday 13 July. I travelled from Brussels to Paris on 13 July and held a bilateral meeting with the French Defence Minister on Saturday 14 July, before attending the Bastille Day commemorations hosted by President Sarkozy.

Departments: Postal Services

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what volume of correspondence his Department sent  (a) by Royal Mail and  (b) by other commercial delivery services in each of the last five years; and what the reasons were for the use of other commercial delivery services.

Derek Twigg: Official mail within the Department is primarily distributed by the internal Defence Mail Service, provided by the British Forces Post Office, while mail for personnel serving overseas is usually distributed by RAF air transport. Most external mail is sent through the Royal Mail Group, or, exceptionally through other approved carriers, who are used on an ad-hoc basis, usually for urgent requirements. The volume of correspondence is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departments: Publicity

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the cost-effectiveness of advertising commissioned by his Department in the last 12 months;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the cost effectiveness of advertising commissioned by his Department in the last 12 months.

Derek Twigg: The armed forces employ a wide range of measures to ascertain the effectiveness of their recruitment advertising campaigns. They are then set against advertising expenditure to assess the cost effectiveness of the various media channels and tools used and compared with each other, across-government and with industry averages.
	For civilian advertising, delegation of responsibility across the Department has resulted in a variable level of effectiveness and identified that improvements could be made. As part of the Civil Service's People Programme we are moving towards a centralised recruitment service. In addition, an advertising contract via the Central Office of Information has been negotiated which enables a continued presence in the national and diversity media and recruitment and diversity websites but also has the flexibility to allow managers to target post specific advertising more effectively. New adverts began in February 2007 to support a pilot of MOD's new external recruitment process. 'TMP Worldwide' has provided generic adverts that appear in monthly selected publications such as diversity press and national newspapers and three large recruitment and diversity websites. In June, Phase 1 of the recruitment service for Broader Banded grades launched and has been supported by the new adverts and any post specific adverts; the service is planned to be fully delivered by June 2008. It is too early to give results but we anticipate a cost saving plus an increase in effectiveness.

EU Battlegroups

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which British military units formed the EU battle group in 2005; and which units will form the EU battle group in 2008.

Des Browne: The last UK commitment to form a European Union Battle Group on standby was from January-June 2005. The Joint Rapid Reaction Force covered this commitment. During this period, there was no deployment of an EU Battle Group.
	The British military units which will form the EU Battle Group that the United Kingdom will have on standby in the second half of 2008 will again come from our Joint Rapid Reaction Force. A decision is likely to be taken later this year on the preferred unit to form the core of this capability.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the letter of 19 June 2007 (MOD Reference: MC03439/2007) from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 19 July 2007
	 I replied to the hon. Member on 19 July 2007.

Military Attaches

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth) of 7 February 2007,  Official Report, columns 924-6W, on military attaches, what the total cost is of maintaining the attach/adviser network; and what the value is of the Foreign Office contribution to the cost which is being withdrawn.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer 18 July 2007
	 The total cost to the MOD of maintaining the attach/adviser network was 38.7 million for financial year 2006-07.
	The FCO are establishing the cost of the Defence Attach network to them in financial year 2006-07. Exact figures are not yet available, however, it is estimated that the amount is in the region of 10 million.

Military Exercises: Ammunition

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military exercises were cancelled due to a lack of blank ammunition in each of the last two years.

Bob Ainsworth: In the last two years there are no records of military exercises being cancelled as a result of a lack of blank ammunition. In 2005 some cadet camps experienced a reduced supply, caused by shortages arising from production problems; these were subsequently resolved. Since that time, the Defence General Munitions Integrated Project Team has received no reports of shortages of blank ammunition.

Military Police: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Ministry of Defence police were employed at Colchester Garrison in  (a) May 1997,  (b) May 2001 and  (c) May 2005; and how many are now employed there.

Derek Twigg: The number of Ministry of Defence police officers employed at Colchester in May 1997, May 2001, May 2005 and June 2007 is as follows:
	
		
			  Date  Inspector  Sergeant  Constable  Total 
			 May 1997 1 5 26 32 
			 May 2001 1 5.5 25.5 33 
			 May 2005 1 4.5 14.5 20 
			 June 2007 0 2.5 6.5 9 
		
	
	These figures do not include Criminal Investigation Department Officers who are not part of the MDP complement at Colchester Garrison and not funded by Land Command. They are based in Colchester for administrative convenience and are responsible for investigating crime on defence estates in East Anglia.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on the Nimrod MRA4 project against the original timetable for work; what effect the time taken on the project has had on the future of the Nimrod MRA4 trainer facility in Kinloss; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The current forecast In Service date for Nimrod MRA4 is 2010 against an original expectation of 2003 when the contract was let in 1996. The MRA4 training facility has been developed concurrently with the aircraft; the extended development programme for the aircraft has allowed risk to be removed from the training facility development programme through more extensive testing being conducted on site at RAF Kinloss by BAE Systems, assisted by the MOD.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what problems have been encountered with  (a) the software and  (b) operation of the MRA4 trainer facility at Kinloss; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The Nimrod MRA4 training facility is currently in the design and development phase. It is a sophisticated system which will provide training for aircrew and groundcrew operating one of the most complex weapon systems in the RAF. The recent, extensive, post-commissioning testing has, as intended, identified anomalies in the software which integrates the numerous and complex systems that make up the simulators. These have been addressed and the corrective actions will be consolidated during the planned upgrade of the simulators to the production delivery standard.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the lifetime budget is for the MRA4 trainer at Kinloss.

Bob Ainsworth: The Nimrod MRA4 training facility does not have a separate budget. The costs of development and production of the facility form part of the prime contract with BAE Systems for the provision of the overall Nimrod MRA4 weapon system. The costs of the operation and maintenance of the training facility will form part of the contract for the future support of the weapon system, which has yet to be negotiated.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions departmental Ministers have had with BAE Systems on progress on the MRA4 trainer; and when such discussions took place.

Bob Ainsworth: There have been no specific discussions between departmental Ministers and BAE Systems over progress on the Nimrod MRA4 training facility.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent from the public purse on the development of the Nimrod MRA4 since his announcement of the decision to procure the aircraft.

Bob Ainsworth: Total design and development costs for Nimrod MRA4 to date are some 1.73 billion of which about 215 million has been incurred since the production contract was signed in July 2006.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the running costs of the Nimrod MRA4 trainers at Kinloss have been since the project commenced.

Bob Ainsworth: The Nimrod MRA4 training facility is currently in the design and development phase, the costs of which form part of the contract with BAE Systems for the provision of the overall Nimrod MRA4 weapon system. Contractual arrangements for operating and maintaining the training system have therefore yet to be negotiated.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the length is of the contract with BAE Systems for the Nimrod MRA4 trainer at Kinloss; and what contractual provisions are in place to deal with the circumstances where the system does not work.

Bob Ainsworth: The development and production of the Nimrod MRA4 training facility forms part of the prime contract with BAE Systems for the overall Nimrod MRA4 weapon system. The contract requires the training system to replicate the standard of the first production aircraft and it will only be contractually accepted by MOD when it has successfully completed extensive testing to prove that it will function appropriately. The contract contains default provisions which could be implemented if the system did not meet the contractual requirement. Contractual arrangements for the operation and maintenance of the training facility have yet to be negotiated.

Nimrod Aircraft

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has allocated further funds to the Nimrod MRA4 trainer facility at Kinloss to assist its development and against contingencies.

Bob Ainsworth: Development and production of the Nimrod MRA4 training facility forms part of the overall prime contract with BAE Systems for provision of the overall Nimrod MRA4 weapon system and will be funded from the provision made for that contract. No additional funding has been allocated to that contract as a contingency provision for the training system.

Nuclear Weapons: RAF Lakenheath

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on reducing the number of US free-fall nuclear bombs stored at RAF Lakenheath.

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his US counterpart in respect of reducing the number of United States free-fall nuclear bombs stored at RAF Lakenheath.

Bob Ainsworth: holding answer  28 July 2007
	It is not the practice of the Government to make public details of all discussions with foreign Governments as this would, or would be likely to, prejudice international relations.

Shipping: Accidents

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his French counterpart on the recent report of the French judicial investigation into the loss of the Bugaled Breizh off the coast of the Lizard in January 2004.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 200-01W. Furthermore, no discussions have been held and none have been sought by the French authorities.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost to applicants is of a licence to conduct animal experiments under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986; how the monies raised from this are spent; what proportion is spent on funding research into non-animal methods; and if she will increase this fee in order to increase financial support for research into non-animal methods.

Meg Hillier: Under section 8 of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, holders of certificates of designation under section 6 or 7 of the 1986 Act are required to pay such periodical fees as may be prescribed or determined. A composite fee is currently charged, comprising of an annual fee for the certificate of designation and an annual fee for each personal licensee with primary availability at the establishment. No fee is levied with respect to project licences.
	The current fees are: certificate of designation, scientific procedures establishment: 252; certificate of designation, breeding and/or supplying establishment: 1,130; personal licence: 226.
	The fees are collected in arrears to cover the costs of operating the 1986 Act. These are, primarily, the staff and running costs of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate, the administrative staff running the licensing operation and the Animal Procedures Committee. Fee income is not currently used to provide financial support for research into non-animal methods and we have no plans to increase them for this purpose.
	We announced on 21 May 2004,  Official Report, column 69WS, that the Home Office would transfer its separately-funded budget for research into the reduction, replacement and refinement of animal experimentation (the 3Rs) to the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) once pre-existing commitments had been honoured. Accordingly, the Home Office contributed 35,000, 125,000 and 250,000 to the funding of the centre in financial years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07, respectively.
	The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research is an independent organisation, funded by Government, research councils and industry, reporting to the Minister for Science and Innovation, and provides a United Kingdom focus for the promotion, development and implementation of the 3Rs in animal research and testing. The centre funds high-quality 3Rs research and facilitates the exchange of information and ideas, the identification of knowledge gaps, and the translation of research findings into practice to benefit both animals and science.

Antisocial Behaviour

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reported incidents there were of antisocial behaviour in  (a) Southampton and  (b) Hampshire in each year since 1997.

Vernon Coaker: The data are not available in the form requested. Antisocial behaviour (ASB) is not measured by incidents but through a measure of perceptions using the British Crime Survey (BCS). The size of the sample in the British Crime Survey means that we cannot provide reliable data for geographical areas smaller than police force areas. Due to changes in the measure of antisocial behaviour, police force area data comparable to the national figures are only available for 2004-05 to 2006-07, and the national measure of perceptions of ASB only back to 2001-02.
	Statistics regarding incidents of antisocial behaviour are not collected centrally in the police recorded crime statistics. It is the substantive result of an action of ASB that will be recorded by the police e.g. criminal damage.
	The following table sets out the national BCS figures for the last six years and the comparable figure for Hampshire police force area.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of people perceiving high levels of ASB in their local area 
			   National ( Percentage )  Hampshire police force area ( Percentage )  Statistically significantly different (at the 95 per cent. level) from the national average 
			 2001-02 19   
			 2002-03 21   
			 2003-04 16   
			 2004-05 17 18 No 
			 2005-06 17 13 No 
			 2006-07 18 15 No 
			  Note:  The measure of antisocial behaviour used is based on a scale constructed from seven questions on problems due to noisy neighbours or loud parties, teenagers and young people hanging around, rubbish and litter, vandalism, people using or dealing drugs, people being drunk or rowdy and abandoned cars (see background notes for more details).

Burglary: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many domestic burglaries there were in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in each of the last 10 years.

Vernon Coaker: The available information is given in the following tables and relates to the Eastbourne Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP) area and the Sussex police force area as a whole. Data specifically for East Sussex are not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: domestic burglary offences recorded in 1997 
			   Eastbourne CDRP  Sussex police force area 
			 1997 n/a 10,862 
			 n/a = Not available. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: domestic burglary offences recorded by the police1998-99 to 2001-02 
			   Eastbourne CDRP  Sussex police force area 
			 1998-99 n/a 11,026 
			 1999-2000 n/a 9,596 
			 2000-01 665 8,498 
			 2001-02 667 7,618 
			 n/a Not available.  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for 1997. 2. The data in this table are prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: domestic burglary offences recorded by the police2002-03 to 2006-07 
			   Eastbourne CDRP  Sussex police force area 
			 2002-03 667 8,209 
			 2003-04 843 7,920 
			 2004-05 545 6,836 
			 2005-06 431 5,709 
			 2006-07 394 4,556 
			  Note: The data in this table take account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Departments: Racial Harassment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of racial abuse relating to staff for which her Department is responsible have been  (a) investigated and  (b) upheld in the last 12 months.

Liam Byrne: During the last 12 months (for the period 1 July 2006 to 30 June 2007) the Home Office, including the Border and Immigration Agency, the Identity and Passport Service and the Criminal Records Bureau, has received nine official complaints of racial discrimination and racial harassment (racial abuse is not a category within the Home Office bullying, harassment and discrimination policy) from staff against their colleagues, all of which were investigated. Fewer than five of the complaints were upheld, and specific information about those individuals is withheld on grounds of confidentiality.
	The Border and Immigration Agency also received 50 complaints regarding allegations of racism from customers against its staff, all of which were investigated. Fewer than five of the complaints were upheld, and this information is therefore withheld on grounds of confidentiality.
	All employees have a duty to respect the dignity of others at work, be mindful of the effect their behaviour may have on colleagues, and ensure their own conduct does not breach the provisions of the Home Office bullying, harassment and discrimination policy.
	Under the policy, line managers are responsible for maintaining a workplace that is free from bullying, harassment and discrimination, confronting unacceptable behaviour and dealing promptly, sensitively and confidently with any issues that come to their attention.

Departments: Wales

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what land in Wales is owned by her Department.

Liam Byrne: My Department owns no land in Wales.

Driving Under Influence

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drink-driving tests were carried out in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in each of the past five years.

Vernon Coaker: Data on the number of screening breath tests conducted by the police are available by police force area only. The most recently available figures in respect of Sussex are as follows:
	
		
			  Screening breath tests in Sussex police force area from 2000 to 2004 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004 
			 Total tests 20,800 21,800 17,300 17,200 15,200 
			  Note:  Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source:  Breath Tests Statistical Collection, held by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Driving Under Influence

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how she plans to reduce drink driving rates.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are committed to reducing drinking and driving through a combination of effective law enforcement, maintenance of a tough penalties regime and continuing investment in high-profile national publicity campaigns.
	We have given the police new powers to carry out evidential roadside breath testing, subject to type approval of appropriate equipment. We have also included in the Road Safety Act 2006 a number of further measures designed to deter drink driving and reduce reoffending. These include enabling powers to require serious, including repeat, offenders to retake the driving test at the end of their driving disqualification, improvements to the operation of the drink drive rehabilitation scheme and provision for a statutory alcohol ignition interlock programme.
	We have just launched a new 3 million multi-media publicity campaign aimed primarily, though not exclusively, at young, male drivers who are more likely to be involved in drink-related crashes than other driver categories. This is designed to emphasise the very serious consequences of being convicted for drink driving and provides a powerful deterrent message for potential drink drivers.
	We have also announced, in the second three-year review of the Road Safety Strategy published in February 2007, that we intend to carry out a consultation on other ways of tackling drink driving, including ways of making police enforcement against drink driving easier. A consultation paper will be published by the end of this year.

Electronic Surveillance

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what controls exist on the use of equipment outside buildings capable of listening in on conversations inside buildings but which is not covered by the Interception of Communications Act 1985.

Tony McNulty: The Interception of Communications Act 1985 was repealed following the full entry into force of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). Part 2 of RIPA provides for the authorisation of covert surveillance, including surveillance carried out in relation to anything taking place in residential premises by means of a surveillance device. Where the device is not present on the premises, directed surveillance may be authorisedunless the device consistently provides information of the same quality and detail as might be expected from a device actually present on the premises, in which case intrusive surveillance should be authorised. Authorisation of both intrusive and directed surveillance is subject to independent oversight by the Office of the Surveillance Commissioners and the Intelligence Services Commissioner.

Fingerprints: Suffolk

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Suffolk had had their fingerprints held on file in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: The number of people in Suffolk that have had their fingerprints held on file in each of the past five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2002 3,807 
			 2003 4,929 
			 2004 4,456 
			 2005 4,662 
			 2006 5,162

Genetics

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long the process of identifying an individual through analysis of a DNA profile takes.

Meg Hillier: It is not possible to provide a precise time for how long it takes to identify an individual through a DNA profile since this will vary between cases and depend on the circumstances of the case investigation.

Genetics: Databases

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK nationals recorded on the National DNA Database have been identified as having their DNA found on bomb parts and fragments in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Meg Hillier: It is not policy to answer questions of this nature since to do so would constitute a breach of national security.

Identity and Passport Service: Vetting

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what security checks are made of a recruited member of Identity and Passport Service staff responsible for approving passport applications; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: All recruits to the IPS have to meet the baseline personnel security standards which include:
	Identity;
	Employment history;
	Nationality/immigration status; and
	Unspent criminal record.
	Staff dealing with passport applications have to meet counter terrorist check standards and those in the new interview office network, who will be interviewing first time passport applicants, have to be cleared to the higher level of security check and are subject to checks with the Criminal Records Bureau.

Asylum and Immigration Tribunal

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has received notification from the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal of its decision in the case of Ms L.K., wife of Mr. P.H. of Aylesbury (AIT OA/44119/2006; post reference 115884 Harare); and if she will make a statement.

Liam Byrne: A copy of the decision was received at the Border and Immigration Agency on 6 July and was forwarded to the overseas post on 13 July.

Immigration: Advisory Services

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many immigration advice centres there are; and how much Government funding is provided to them.

Liam Byrne: An individual who wishes to obtain immigration advice can do so through a solicitor registered with the Law Society or through an advisor registered with the Office of Immigration Services Commissioner (OISC). The OISC is a non-departmental public body of the Border and Immigration Agency. Organisations regulated by the OISC can be 'for profit' or 'not for profit.' In 2006-07 there were 673 'for profit' organisations registered with the OISC and 976 'not for profit' registered with the OISC of which 596 were Citizen Advice Bureaus (CABs).
	Some of the 'not for profit' sector only provide immigration advice, but others such as CABs offer advice on a range of issues. As such, the actual funding the Government provides for immigration advice through the not for profit sector cannot be isolated.

Immigration: Philippines

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the number of Philippine nationals working in the  (a) NHS and  (b) nursing home care sector who will be required to leave the UK in the last quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008 because of new visa restrictions.

Liam Byrne: Regular discussions are held between the Department of Health and the Border and Immigration Agency on labour market and immigration related issues.

Police: Finance

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been allocated to the police per head of population in  (a) Sussex and  (b) the South East of England for 2007-08.

Tony McNulty: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	The Government do not distribute grant to police authorities purely on the basis of population. The police funding formula uses a range of data relating to demographic and social characteristics to reflect the relative needs of each authority. Grant allocations also take into account the relative tax base of each authority. Grant allocations are stabilised by damping to limit year-on-year variations.
	
		
			  Police authority  Total grants 2007-08( 1)  ( million)  Resident population mid-2005( 2)  (million)  Funding per head of population 2007-08 () 
			 Hampshire 233.17 1.81 128.82 
			 Kent 235.37 1.62 145.29 
			 Surrey 114.32 1.08 105.85 
			 Sussex 198.89 1.52 130.85 
			 Thames Valley 270.72 2.14 126.50 
			 Total south-east of England 1,052.47 8.17 128.82 
			 Total England 8,884.81 50.42 176.22 
			 (1) Total grants comprises: Home Office Police Grant, DCLG Revenue Support Grant and National Non-Domestic Rates; Special Formula grant, Specific Grants: Crime Fighting Fund, Neighbourhood Policing Fund, Basic Command Unit Fund, Community Support Officer Funding, Pension Deficit Grant and Dedicated Security Post funding and Capital provision (including the increased capital allocations announced on 24 May and 19 June 2007). (2) Population data sourced by the Office for National Statistics from the mid-2005 population estimates.

Police: Finance

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the timetable is for the full implementation of the agreed police funding formula without floors and ceilings.

Tony McNulty: Grant floors are an integral part of the local government finance system. A damping mechanism is applied to police formula grant allocations to protect all police authorities against financial instability and to ensure they all receive an increase in grant at least equal to the 'floor' level on a like-for-like basis year-on-year.
	Any movement towards full implementation of the funding formula will depend on the overall amount of grant available for distribution. Decisions on police grant for 2008-09 to 2010-11 will be taken in the autumn.

Police: Road Traffic Control

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of police resources in  (a) England and Wales and  (b) each region was allocated to traffic policing in the last period for which figures are available.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for chief officers and the police authorities and the information is not held centrally.

Police: Stun Guns

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will increase the number of police forces in the UK which are trained and equipped to use Taser stun guns; and if she will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Taser has been available to all Authorised Firearms Officers in England and Wales since September 2004 as a less lethal alternative for use in situations where a firearms authority has been granted in accordance with criteria laid down in the Association of Chief Police Officers Manual of Guidance on Police Use of Firearms.
	From 20 July 2007 Chief Officers throughout England and Wales have been able to deploy Taser for use by Authorised Firearms Officers in operations or incidents where the criteria for the authorisation to issue firearms does not apply, but where officers are facing violence or threats of violence of such severity that they would need to use force to protect the public, themselves and/or the subject(s) of their action.
	In addition, a 12 month trial of the deployment of Taser by specially trained units who are not firearms officers in similarly violent circumstances requiring conflict management will commence on 1 September 2007 in the following 10 forces in England and Wales: Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Gwent, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, Metropolitan Police Service, Northamptonshire, Northumbria, North Wales and West Yorkshire.

Pornography: Children

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to accelerate international co-operation to ensure the swift closure of websites hosted overseas which contain child abuse images.

Vernon Coaker: The Government and law enforcement are working hard to build international co-operation and collaboration to improve all aspects of investigations into online child abuse.
	This will cover not only investigations into websites hosting images of children being sexually abused; but, also, investigations to find the children who appear in these images and to identify those who are making, downloading, distributing and/or trading in images of children being sexually abused. A recent investigation led by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre led to the rescue of over 30 children from abuse and the identification of over 700 suspects worldwide.
	The Government recognise the need to take action to shut down these sites and law enforcement are pro-actively seeking to build relationships in those parts of the world where it appears the majority of sites are hosted. We are also very supportive of CEOP's initiative to embed law enforcement officers from overseas into CEOP to improve co-operation and to facilitate investigations.

Stop and Search: Vehicles

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2007 to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam,  Official Report, column 1344W, on stop and search: vehicles, if she will provide the equivalent figures in relation to searches of  (a) persons and  (b) persons and vehicles.

Jacqui Smith: The available information is given in the following tables from 1998-99 to 2004-05 (latest available).
	
		
			  Table A: Resultant arrests following total searches( 1)  of persons( 2)  and searches of persons( 2)  under section 44(1) and 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000( 3, 4) , by police force area in England, from 1998-99 to 2004-05 
			   Resultan t arrests following searches of persons( 2) 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			  Police force area  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism Act( 3, 4) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,913  3,199  2,268  2,562  
			 Bedfordshire 573  542 2 425  486  
			 Cambridgeshire 1,142  1,191  819  630  
			 Cheshire 1,356  1,244 2 1,085 1 1,245 4 
			 Cleveland 3,137  2,841  2,349  2,333  
			 Cumbria 1,487  1,206  848  576  
			 Derbyshire 1,700  2,066  1,395  1,051  
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,261  1,960  1,766  2,360  
			 Dorset 537  1,006  930  1,029  
			 Durham 987  1,056  1,219  1,351  
			 Essex 948  998  1,043  904  
			 Gloucestershire 679  909  837  881  
			 Greater Manchester 6,602  5,722  4,983  4,153 1 
			 Hampshire 2,273  2,910  2,350  2,211  
			 Hertfordshire 761  1,008  1,087  801  
			 Humberside 771  777  772  664  
			 Kent 5,066  4,467  3,740  3,216 7 
			 Lancashire 3,578  2,942  2,506  2,076  
			 Leicestershire 2,077  1,697  984  1,463  
			 Lincolnshire 1,141  814  668  831  
			 London, City of 635 23 459  455 25 1,197 100 
			 Merseyside 6,104  4,923  3,656  3,087  
			 Metropolitan Police 37,613 9 28,973 12 27,664 15 31,565 74 
			 Norfolk 1,571  1,377  977  767  
			 Northamptonshire 783  899  831  760  
			 Northumbria 3,572  3,206 2 2,936 1 3,386  
			 North Yorkshire 1,438  1,185  974  987  
			 Nottinghamshire 874  722  907  821  
			 South Yorkshire 2,179  2,393  2,641  2,695  
			 Staffordshire 1,240  1,176  985  1,228  
			 Suffolk 865  749  439  497  
			 Surrey 1,674  1,218  1,405  1,418 1 
			 Sussex 1,307  1,556  1,533  2,037 2 
			 Thames Valley 2,248  1,808  1,999  1,831  
			 Warwickshire 1,056  1,268  967  981  
			 West Mercia 2,064  1,844  1,817  1,571  
			 West Midlands 3,062  3,178  3,086  2,960  
			 West Yorkshire 3,558  4,183  3,290  3,970  
			 Wiltshire 615  574  657  722  
			  
			 England 112,447 32 100,246 18 89,293 42 93,303 189 
		
	
	
		
			   Resultant  arrests following searches of persons( 2) 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05 
			 Police force area  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism  Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism  Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism  Act( 3, 4) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,777  2,145  2,021  
			 Bedfordshire 691 1 701 2 467  
			 Cambridgeshire 587  550 6 578  
			 Cheshire 1,394 7 1,238  1,492  
			 Cleveland 2,543  1,582  2,679  
			 Cumbria 593  647  736  
			 Derbyshire 1,270  1,237  1,164  
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,029  1,770  1,973  
			 Dorset 1,115  996 5 937  
			 Durham 1,189  831  1,049  
			 Essex 875  768 5 922 20 
			 Gloucestershire 862 3 766 3 730  
			 Greater Manchester 5,278 12 4,247 4 5,014 18 
			 Hampshire 2,337 8 2,602 30 2,904 33 
			 Hertfordshire 763  834  1,341  
			 Humberside 776  670  698  
			 Kent 3,291 29 1,588  1,469 4 
			 Lancashire 2,981  2,904  2,836  
			 Leicestershire 1,434  1,428 2 1,302  
			 Lincolnshire 765  910  1,230  
			 London, City of 1,864 107 1,839 164 1,553 139 
			 Merseyside 4,592  2,781  3,098  
			 Metropolitan Police 38,067 199 27,993 244 24,211 167 
			 Norfolk 978  854  786  
			 Northamptonshire 778  792  921  
			 Northumbria 3,476  2,316  2,668 9 
			 North Yorkshire 997  583  457 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 887  837  769  
			 South Yorkshire 3,081  2,213  1,979  
			 Staffordshire 1,695  2,743  2,741  
			 Suffolk 540  546  524  
			 Surrey 1,513 1 1,258 2 1,293 13 
			 Sussex 1,924 3 1,581 3 1,337 34 
			 Thames Valley 2,454  2,049 7 1,947 5 
			 Warwickshire 908  853  707  
			 West Mercia 1,512  1,168  1,619  
			 West Midlands 4,858 7 4,147 5 3,490  
			 West Yorkshire 6,189 1 6,978 2 8,580 2 
			 Wiltshire 621  594  608  
			
			 England 110,484 378 90,539 484 90,830 446 
			 (1) Total searches includes searches: under s1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Firearms Act 1968; also included are other legislation which relates to searches under other powers, such as under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 s15 (which since 19 February 2001 has been replaced by section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000); various poaching and wildlife conservation legislation; the Aviation Security Act 1982, s27(1); the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s163 and 164; and the Sporting Events (control of Alcohol, etc) Act 1985; s60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; and s44(1) and 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (formerly s13A and 13B of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989. (2) Data are included in the table where a vehicle and driver occupier are searched simultaneously as the search is recorded against the driver (occupant). Any other passengers searched are recorded as occupants. Data given in the table also include searches of pedestrians. (3) S44(1) and S44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (formerly s13A and s13B of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989. (4) Some forces have recently advised that they have been recording s44(2) searches under s44(1) as they cannot separately identify.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.  Source: Stops/Searches collection held by Office for Criminal Justice Reform. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table B: Resultant arrests following total searches( 1)  of persons and vehicles( 2)  and searches of persons and vehicles( 2)  under section 44(1) and 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000( 3, 4) , by police force area in England, from 1998-99 to 2004-05 
			   Resultant  arrests following searches of persons and vehicles( 3, 4) 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			  Police force area  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism Act( 3, 4) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,919  3,199  2,268  2,562  
			 Bedfordshire 573  542 2 425  486  
			 Cambridgeshire 1,142  1,191  819  630  
			 Cheshire 1,356  1,244 2 1,087 1 1,245 4 
			 Cleveland 3,137  2,841  2,349  2,333  
			 Cumbria 1,487  1,206  848  576  
			 Derbyshire 1,700  2,066  1,395  1,051  
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,261  1,960  1,766  2,360  
			 Dorset 537  1,006  930  1,029  
			 Durham 988 1 1,056  1,219  1,351  
			 Essex 948  998  1,043  904  
			 Gloucestershire 679  909  837  881  
			 Greater Manchester 6,602  5,722  4,983  4,154 1 
			 Hampshire 2,273  2,910  2,350  2,211  
			 Hertfordshire 761  1,008  1,089  801  
			 Humberside 771  777  772  664  
			 Kent 5,066  4,467  3,741  3,216 7 
			 Lancashire 3,578  2,942  2,506  2,076  
			 Leicestershire 2,077  1,697  984  1,463  
			 Lincolnshire 1,141  814  668  831  
			 London, City of 635 23 459  455 25 1,197 100 
			 Merseyside 6,104  4,923  3,656  3,087  
			 Metropolitan Police 37,613 9 28,974 12 27,664 15 31,565 74 
			 Norfolk 1,571  1,377  977  767  
			 Northamptonshire 783  899  831  760  
			 Northumbria 3,572  3,206 2 2,936 1 3,386  
			 North Yorkshire 1,438  1,185  977 3 987  
			 Nottinghamshire 874  722  907  821  
			 South Yorkshire 2,179  2,393  2,641  2,695  
			 Staffordshire 1,240  1,176  985  1,228  
			 Suffolk 865  749  439  497  
			 Surrey 1,674  1,218  1,405  1,418 1 
			 Sussex 1,307  1,556  1,533  2,037 2 
			 Thames Valley 2,248  1,808  1,999  1,831  
			 Warwickshire 1,056  1,268  967  981  
			 West Mercia 2,066  1,844  1,817  1,571  
			 West Midlands 3,062  3,178  3,086  2,960  
			 West Yorkshire 3,558  4,183  3,290  3,970  
			 Wiltshire 617  574  657  722  
			  
			 England 112,458 33 100,247 18 89,301 45 93,304 189 
		
	
	
		
			   Resultan t arrests following searches of persons and vehicles( 3, 4) 
			   2002 - 03  2003 - 04  2004 - 05 
			  Police force area  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism  Act( 3, ) 4  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism  Act( 3, 4)  Total  under s44(1) and s44(2) Terrorism  Act( 3, 4) 
			 Avon and Somerset 2,777  2,145  2,021  
			 Bedfordshire 691 1 701 2 468  
			 Cambridgeshire 587  550 6 579 1 
			 Cheshire 1,394 7 1,238  1,664  
			 Cleveland 2,543  1,582  2,679  
			 Cumbria 593  647  736  
			 Derbyshire 1,270  1,237  1,164  
			 Devon and Cornwall 2,029  1,770  1,973  
			 Dorset 1,115  996 5 937  
			 Durham 1,189  831  1,049  
			 Essex 875  768 5 922 20 
			 Gloucestershire 862 3 818 3 730  
			 Greater Manchester 5,278 12 4,322 4 5,030 18 
			 Hampshire 2,337 8 2,602 30 2,904 33 
			 Hertfordshire 763  834  1,341  
			 Humberside 776  670  698  
			 Kent 3,291 29 1,588  1,469 4 
			 Lancashire 2,981  2,904  2,836  
			 Leicestershire 1,434  1,428 2 1,302  
			 Lincolnshire 765  910  1,230  
			 London, City of 1,864 107 1,839 164 1,553 139 
			 Merseyside 4,592  2,781  3,098  
			 Metropolitan Police 38,067 199 27,993 244 24,211 167 
			 Norfolk 978  854  786  
			 Northamptonshire 778  792  921  
			 Northumbria 3,476  2,316  2,668 9 
			 North Yorkshire 997  584  457 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 887  837  769  
			 South Yorkshire 3,083 2 2,213  1,979  
			 Staffordshire 1,695  2,753  2,741  
			 Suffolk 540  546  524  
			 Surrey 1,513 1 1,258 2 1,293 13 
			 Sussex 1,924 3 1,581 3 1,338 35 
			 Thames Valley 2,454  2,049 7 1,947 5 
			 Warwickshire 908  853  707  
			 West Mercia 1,512  1,168  1,619  
			 West Midlands 4,858 7 4,147 5 3,490  
			 West Yorkshire 6,191 1 6,984 2 8,580 2 
			 Wiltshire 621  594  608  
			
			 England 110,488 380 90,683 484 91,021 448 
			 (1) Total searches includes searches: under s1 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984; Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Firearms Act 1968; also included are other legislation which relates to searches under other powers, such as under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 s15 (which since 19 February 2001 has been replaced by section 43 of the Terrorism Act 2000); various poaching and wildlife conservation legislation; the Aviation Security Act 1982, s27(1); the Customs and Excise Management Act 1979, s163 and 164; and the Sporting Events (control of Alcohol, etc) Act 1985; s60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994; and s44(1) and 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (formerly s13A and 13B of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989. (2) Searches may be conducted on vehicles only, occupants only or both may be searched. Where a vehicle and driver occupier are searched simultaneously the search is recorded against the driver (occupant). Any other passengers searched are recorded as occupants. Data given in the table include searches of pedestrians. (3) S44(1) and S44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 (formerly s13A and s13B of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989. (4) Some forces have recently advised that they have been recording s44(2) searches under s44(1) as they cannot separately identify.  Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.  Source: Stops/Searches collection held by Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Terrorism: Detainees

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2007,  Official Report, column 979W, on Terrorism: detainees, if she will seek the information requested from each police force.

Tony McNulty: As part of the consultation on forthcoming counter-terrorism legislation, we are looking, in conjunction with the police, at how the existing maximum period of pre-charge detention has operated in practice and whether there are any lessons to be learnt from that.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Asylum and Immigration Tribunal

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether HM High Commission Harare has received notification of the judgement of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in the case of Ms L.K., wife of Mr P.H. of Aylesbury (post reference 115884; AIT reference OA/44119/2006); and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Our embassy in Harare received their copy of the Immigration judge's determination in the case of Mrs. L. K., wife of Mr. P. H. of Aylesbury, on 19 July. Following her allowed appeal, the embassy will contact Mrs. L. K. to request her passport, so that her entry clearance can be issued as soon as possible.

Chile: Human Rights

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received on Chile's observance of human rights with regards to the Mapuche population; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: Our embassy in Santiago has not received any recent representations on the Mapuche.
	However, the Government believe firmly that the individual rights of indigenous people should be recognised and protected. All indigenous people are entitled to full respect of their human rights, both within and without their communities. We continuously monitor all human rights in Chile, as we do in other countries. We also work with other EU members on human rights issues, such as minority rights, and in 2005 we co-drafted a report on the steps Chile had taken to implement the Stavenhagen report recommendations regarding indigenous people.
	The Government have funded a number of projects to support and promote the rights of indigenous people. We have financed a Minority Rights Group project to help minority and indigenous groups participate effectively at the UN. We also provide support to the Inter-American Development Bank's Indigenous Strategy and fund programmes in Latin America that target indigenous groups. We will continue to monitor the situation of indigenous people, including the Mapuche, in Chile.

European Court of Justice

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which institutions of the European Union do not fall within the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

Jim Murphy: All the EU institutions, as defined in article 7 of the treaty Establishing the European Community, are subject to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.

India: Embassies

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of Indian citizens employed by his Department in India are Dalits.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not hold such records. In line with global FCO policy, all our recruitment and employment practices at our posts in India are competency based, and focused on valuing diversity. Discrimination in any form is unacceptable.

Iran: Foreign Relations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the outcome of the review of UK relations with Iran announced in April 2007.

David Miliband: The review of relations with Iran is continuing, but the principles underpinning our policy towards Iran have not changed.
	Iran has every right to develop its own economy and society. We welcome dialogue and engagement with Iran as it does so, but it must also accept that it has responsibilities to the region and the wider international community. It cannot violate the terms of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation treaty nor undermine regional stability.

Iran: Nuclear Power

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in the multilateral enrichment of uranium for the production of nuclear power in Iran; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The generous offer made by the E3+3 in June 2006, and annexed to UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1747, includes active support for the building of new light water power reactors in Iran and the provision of legally binding multi-layered fuel assurances to Iran. These would be based on: participation as a partner in an international facility in Russia to provide enrichment services; establishment on commercial terms of a buffer stock to hold a reserve of five years' supply of nuclear fuel dedicated to Iran; and development with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of a standing multilateral mechanism for reliable access to nuclear fuel, based on ideas currently being considered by the IAEA and Board of Governors.
	But before negotiations can begin Iran needs to suspend all enrichment-related and reprocessing activities, as required by three successive UNSCRs.

Iraq: Weapons

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the adjournment debate in Westminster Hall of 13 June 2007,  Official Report, column 288WH, on the Iraq Dossier (September 2002), when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay, dated 18 June, on John Williams's draft Iraq dossier.

Kim Howells: I replied to the hon. Member on 19 July.

Israel: Arms Trade

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it Government policy to sell arms to Israel to assist that country in fighting terrorism; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The UK recognises that all countries, including Israel, have a legitimate right to purchase conventional arms for their defence and security needs. However, UK policy dictates that all licences are assessed on a case by case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria. This takes into account respect for human rights and the preservation of regional peace, security and stability. If there is a clear risk that the equipment will be used in a manner inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, a licence will not be approved.

Isreal: Non-Proliferation Treaty

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage Israel  (a) to sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and  (b) to allow entry to International Atomic Energy Agency monitoring personnel.

Kim Howells: The Government have on a number of occasions called on Israel to accede to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty as a non-nuclear weapon state, and to conclude a full scope safeguards agreement and additional protocol with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). We continue to take appropriate opportunities to discuss all aspects of non-proliferation with representatives of the Israeli government.
	Israel has a site-specific safeguards agreement with the IAEA, which gives the IAEA access to the Soreq nuclear site for monitoring purposes. Details of this can be found on the IAEA website at:
	www.iaea.ors.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter to his predecessor dated 7 June from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Ms L. Lavell.

Kim Howells: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 19 July.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to reply to the letter to his predecessor dated 4 June from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton on Mr. Farooq Ahmed.

Kim Howells: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 19 July.

Mercenaries

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans the Government have to introduce measures to control and regulate UK-based private military and security companies working abroad.

Kim Howells: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 93W.

Mordechai Vanunu

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Israeli government on Mordechai Vanunu.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no such discussions with the Israeli government.
	We are aware that Mr. Vanunu was re-convicted on 30 April of breaching an order barring him from contacts with the foreign press. The Government raised Mr. Vanunu's case with the Israeli government on a number of occasions during his detention. After Mr Vanunu was released, we then raised the conditions of his release with the Israeli government. We have made our concerns clear to the Israeli government.

Rizana Nafeek

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the government of Saudi Arabia on the execution of Rizana Nafeek; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: No representations have been made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary to the Government of Saudi Arabia on behalf of Rizana Nafeek, a Sri-Lankan national.
	Representatives for Rizana Nafeek filed an appeal against the conviction on 15 July. The judicial process around the case is therefore ongoing. Our embassy in Riyadh will continue to monitor developments.

Russia: Diplomatic Service

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many diplomats Russia was authorised to have in the United Kingdom or accredited to the Court of St James on 13 July; and how many there will be following the decision, announced on 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 22, to expel diplomats.

Jim Murphy: Seventy-seven Russians are currently notified to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) as being posted to the UK with diplomatic rank and are registered on the FCO Protocol database. I refer my hon. Friend to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 16 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 27-22, in which he informed the House that four of these individuals have been asked to leave.

Russia: Diplomatic Service

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will undertake to make a written statement to the House should the number of authorised Russian diplomats in London vary from the levels permitted following the decision to expel four Russian diplomats which he announced on 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 22.

Jim Murphy: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to him today (UIN 151252). I would also remind my hon. Friend that I provided an undertaking to the Foreign Affairs Select Committee that I would inform Parliament of any changes to the measures set out in my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's statement to the House on 16 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 21-22.

UN Resolutions

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: There has been significant progress towards the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701. The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has successfully helped to bring peace and stability to south Lebanon. Their efforts, in conjunction with the Lebanese army, have ensured that the cessation of hostilities has been maintained with few significant breaches. There has also been steady progress on the clearance of unexploded munitions from the conflict last year. With significant UK support, UN and Lebanese teams have cleared approximately 17.5 square kilometres of contaminated land. This amounts to half of the total contaminated land.
	However, the ongoing political crisis in Lebanon is hindering progress towards full implementation of UNSCR 1701. In particular, we continue to be concerned by reports of arms smuggling across the Syria/Lebanon border. We are working with international partners and the Government of Lebanon to address this issue. As part of this we are supporting a German-led project aimed at strengthening the border.
	We are also deeply concerned by the firing of three rockets from south Lebanon into Israel on 17 June and an attack on a UNIFIL vehicle on 24 June that killed six soldiers. Such attacks are unacceptable and serve only to destabilise Lebanon. The UK will continue to work for the full implementation of UNSCR 1701.
	The UN Secretary-General's most recent report on the implementation of UNSCR 1701 was published on 28 June. I will arrange for copies of this report to be placed in the Library of the House.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimates his Department has made of likely visitor numbers to Blackpool in the next five years.

Margaret Hodge: VisitBritain only makes forecasts of visitor numbers for the year ahead, and at a national level. No predictions have been made for visitors to Blackpool.
	However, there were around 1.8 million overnight visits to Blackpool in 2006, making it the fifth most visited destination in England for domestic overnight visitors.

Playing Fields

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to secure further provision of playing fields.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The most recent data from planning applications relating to playing fields show that for two consecutive years more playing fields have been created than lost.
	We now have tough measures in place to protect playing fields and planning guidance is clear that no field needed by the community should be removed.
	Since 2001, over 1 billion of Lottery and Exchequer funding has been invested in community sports facilities, including playing fields and outdoor all weather pitches. The active places database shows that 93 per cent. of the population is currently within 20 minutes travel time of a playing field.

Licensing Act

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the impact of the Licensing Act 2003 on live music; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Current assessments suggest the Act has so far had a broadly neutral impact on the staging of live music.
	The Live Music Forum published its report on 4 July. This found the Act had delivered many benefits, but the forum also highlighted some areas of concern.
	The second stage of our own planned research into the provision of live music will be completed by the end of the year.

Tourism

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department has allocated to the promotion of tourism for 2007-08.

Margaret Hodge: DCMS is investing over 55 million in tourism support at national and regional levels in 2007-08. Across the UK, the public sector now puts over 300 million a year into supporting the industrymore than ever before.

Tourism

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1709W, on tourism, when his Department plans to publish the tourism strategy for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Margaret Hodge: We hope to publish the tourism strategy for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in September 2007.

Museums and Galleries: Free Admission

Jim Devine: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effect of free admission to national museums and galleries on the number and range of visitors to such institutions.

Margaret Hodge: Free museum admission for children was introduced by this Government eight years ago in April 1999. Since then the number of child visits to former charging sponsored museums in England has increased by 76 per cent. This represents an extra 12 million visits over this period.
	Since the introduction of universal free access to former charging sponsored museums in England in December 2001, there has been an 87 per cent. increase in visits. This represents an extra 6 million visits a year or 29 million visits over the five years since entry charges were abolished.
	Over the same period, the proportion of visits by people from black and multi-ethnic backgrounds has increased by around 54 per cent. while trend data collected between 2002-03 and 2004-05 shows that visits by people from C2DE social groups rose by 21 per cent. or 1.2 million additional visits.

Community Football

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding his Department has provided for community football projects in 2007-08.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Over 20 million of both Exchequer and National Lottery funding, channelled through Sport England and the Football Foundation, will support community football projects in 2007-08.
	In addition the Football Association is receiving 4 million over the period 2005-09 to support core community football projects.
	And we have provided a further 5 million of Exchequer funding between 2006-08 to the Football Foundation and the Football Association for specific football projects.

Bookmakers' Pitches

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures he plans to take with regard to the certification system for race course bookmakers' pitches.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Gambling Act replaces the certification system for racecourses with a new, streamlined licensing system. It is in both the racing and betting industries' interests to work together to ensure a smooth transition to the new system, and I plan to help them to reach agreement.

Sports Aid

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many young athletes in  (a) England and  (b) Tamworth constituency have received financial support from SportsAid.

Gerry Sutcliffe: SportsAid is a registered charity for sports people and focuses on giving grants to young people aged 12 to 16 from funds raised from the private sector. It would not, therefore, be appropriate for Government to answer on behalf of SportsAid.
	However, SportsAid receives an annual Exchequer grant from Sport England, and for this financial year, will receive 199,270 to support its operational costs.
	In addition, SportsAid is responsible for administering Government funding for the talented athlete scholarship scheme (TASS), which includes TASS 2012. The programme supports young sporting talent primarily in further and higher education. Since TASS and TASS 2012 were launched, 2,648 athletes in England and two in the Tamworth constituency have received financial support.

Artists with Disabilities

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what support his Department provides for artists with disabilities.

Margaret Hodge: In 2005-06 Arts Council England (ACE) provided 12,844,929 funding and since 2004 has provided 4,138,800 in capital grants for disability-led arts organisations. Last year ACE launched a Disability Equality Scheme and it is developing a new Disability Arts Strategy for 2008-09. The Cultural Leadership programme has also funded a network of disabled artists to develop leadership opportunities.

Decibel Penguin Prize

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make a statement on the future of the decibel Penguin prize.

Margaret Hodge: The second decibel Penguin anthology will be published in November. Writers from all backgrounds were invited to submit personal accounts of the experience of immigration to the United Kingdom and 16 authors were chosen. This volume has received about 3,500 from Arts Council England. There are plans for one further volume next year.

British Library: Business

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action his Department is taking to promote the Business and Intellectual Property Centre at the British Library as a resource for the business community.

Margaret Hodge: DCMS operates an arm's length policy with regard to the bodies that it sponsors, and the promotion of the Business and Intellectual Property Centre is therefore a matter for the British Library Board. They are to be congratulated for their successful delivery of this new resource, which has welcomed over 25,000 users since it opened in March 2006. The Library continues to broaden its public offer, and to build its role underpinning the UK's knowledge economy.

Culture: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what events will be held in Poole as part of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012; and which of these events were planned before London secured the 2012 games.

Margaret Hodge: The intention of the Cultural Olympiad has always been for a UK wide programme that engages local communities. This remains the commitment.
	The major projects set out in the London 2012 bid included Film and Video Nation, International Shakespeare Festival, Live Sites, International Exhibitions Programme, 2012 Sounds! Olympic Proms, Artists Taking the Lead, World Cultural Festival, World Festival of Youth Culture, 2012 Carnival and Celebration of Disability Arts and Sport. All these projects featured in LOCOG's briefing of 21 June. Most of these projects will offer the opportunity for people around the UK to become involved.
	In addition to these programmes, there will be a four-year UK-wide Cultural Festival including grass-roots community projects starting in the summer of 2008. Supported and led by a network of Regional Creative Programmers, this Festival will encompass thousands of national, local and regional events as part of the nationwide celebrations to mark the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The role of the Regional Creative Programmers will be to co-ordinate the delivery of cultural events in all the regions and will act as the first point of contact for people in the regions, giving information and advice on how to join in with the Cultural Olympiad. It is too early to say what events will be held in Poole but the Creative Programmer for the South West will work with regional partners and stakeholders to help produce joint events, projects and activities.

Departments: Catering

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what percentage of  (a) beef,  (b) sheep meat,  (c) pork and  (d) dairy products used in his Department in the most recent period for which figures are available were imported products.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 19 July 2007
	The percentage of food products used in the Department that was imported is as follows:
	 (a) beef: 48 per cent.  (b) sheep meat: 48 per cent.  (c) 0 per cent.  (d) 50 per cent.

Departments: Flint Bishop

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made payment to Flint Bishop Solicitors since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Neither the Department nor its agency the Royal Parks, have made any payments to Flint Bishop Solicitors since 1997.

Departments: Ministerial Red Boxes

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many ministerial red boxes his Department bought in each of the last five years; what the cost of each was; who the suppliers were: and what tendering process was used in selecting them.

Margaret Hodge: Ministerial boxes are used by successive Ministers over many years. There were two ministerial red boxes purchased in 2006, see following table. The ministerial boxes were ordered via Banner Business Supplies Ltd. contract, therefore no tendering process was used in selecting the supplier.
	
		
			  2006  Cost () 
			 Minister of StateDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport 620.00 + 108.50 VAT 
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary of StateDepartment for Culture, Media and Sport 740.00 + 129.50 VAT (incl. new Bramah lock and key) 
			 Total cost 1,598.00

Departments: Visits Abroad

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many overseas visits were made by  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: Departmental expenditure for overseas travel and subsistence by officials is shown in the table. Statistical information regarding number of visits is not routinely collected and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Regarding Ministers' visits overseas, since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.
	
		
			   Overseas travel and subsistence costs by officials  () 
			 2006-07(1) 291,427.90 
			 2005-06 287,546.56 
			 2004-05 279,710.59 
			 2003-04 235,210.16 
			 2002-03 195,442.41 
			 2001-02 129,164.75 
			 2000-01 188,337.76 
			 1999-2000 193,742.97 
			 1998-99 151,307.28 
			 1997-98 175,061.96 
			 (1) Subject to finalisation of resource accounts.

Digital Broadcasting: Islwyn

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the percentage of homes in Islwyn constituency which have digital television.

James Purnell: No estimate has been made for the Islwyn constituency. However, according to the latest figures from the Ofcom/Digital UK Tracker Survey (Q1-2007), take up of digital television in Wales is currently estimated at 86 per cent. of households(1).
	(1 )Based on a sample of 319

English Heritage

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many English Heritage sites he and his predecessor visited  (a) in the UK and  (b) in Poole in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not visited any English Heritage sites in his three weeks since taking office. His predecessor visited Stonehenge in September 2006, and last month she visited Torre Abbey in Torquay to see a project funded by English Heritage. I visited Castle Acre Priory on 8 July. My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy) visited seven properties managed by English Heritage during his term in office. There are no English Heritage sites in Poole; the nearest sites are Christchurch Castle and Norman House, Lulworth Castle, and Knowlton Church and Earthworks. These have not been visited by DCMS Ministers in recent years. English Heritage's remit in the UK only extends to England; the devolved administrations have their own equivalent heritage bodies.

Fashion Industry: Government Assistance

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to support the British fashion industry.

Margaret Hodge: Fashion is one of the brightest stars in the UK's creative economy, with world class standards in our colleges and cultural institutions producing some of the world's top designers.
	DCMS gained responsibility for the fashion design sector in 2005. Since then we have been working with representatives from the industry to understand their issues and how Government policies and programmes can best respond to them.
	The Department has ensured that the fashion design sector is an integral part of the Government's ongoing Creative Economy Programme, which aims to improve the growth and productivity of the creative industries.
	DCMS works closely with industry and the other public bodies and supporting cultural and educational institutions. We are also closely monitoring the independent Model Health Inquiry and will respond to its final recommendations.

Libraries: Digital Technology

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department is taking to assist in the establishment of the European Digital Library.

Margaret Hodge: Earlier this year, DCMS and the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) jointly ran a workshop on digitisation, cultural resources and the creative industries. The impetus behind the event was the European Commission's Conclusions on its European Digital Library (EDL) project. The workshop was attended by more than 100 key stakeholders from across the UK, representing museums, libraries, archives, academia, film, broadcasting, heritage, music, publishing and tourism, and other Government Departments. The Department is now considering how best to draw on the issues raised at the workshop to assist in the establishment of the EDL.

National Lottery: Grants

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what projects that received funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund were subsequently abandoned in each year since 1997; how much funding was received for each such project; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Since 1994, the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded funding to over 26,000 projects. Of these projects, 17 have not been successfully completed having already drawn down an element of funding.
	The table gives funding details for each of the 17 projects.
	
		
			  Project title  Applicant  Year project closed (FY)  Grant awarded ()  Grant drawdown () 
			 Blaenau Ffestiniog, Plas Tan Y Bwlch Historic Gardens Plas Tan Y Bwlch Gardens Trust 1999- 2000 313,700 16,913 
			 Williton Workhouse Conservation Somerset Buildings Preservation Trust 2000-01 70,000 8,376 
			 Tower Environs SchemeApproaching the Tower Historic Royal Palaces 2001-02 405,000 24,904 
			 Astley CastleAcquisition and refurbishment Landmark Trust 2002-03 152,625 10,737 
			 Heritage Information Exchange The Heritage Information Trust 2003-04 365,000 77,070 
			 Brackenhill Tower, Longtown, Cumbria Brackenhill Trust Ltd. 2004-05 50,000 4,446 
			 Old Market Place CAPS Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council 2004-05 75,000 14,550 
			 St. Peter, Church Knowle, Dorset St. Peter's PCC 2005-06 20,500 1,993 
			 Bradford City Centre CAPS Bradford Metropolitan District Council 2005-06 300,000 70,591 
			 Headstone Manor, Harrow Museum and Heritage Centre, Harrow London Borough of Harrow 2005-06 1,003,400 177,585 
			 Manningham CAPS Bradford Metropolitan District Council 2005-06 180,000 33,546 
			 Muswell Hill CAPS London Borough of Haringey 2005-06 225,000 16,631 
			 Terra 2000 University of Plymouth 2005-06 40,848 9,920 
			 Congregational Church, Polesworth Congregational Federation Ltd 2006-07 118,000 24,149 
			 First Presbyterian Church, NewryRestoration First Presbyterian Church, Newry 2006-07 144,050 129,645 
			 Food for Life! Central Action 2006-07 31,600 15,800 
			 Warwick Bar THI British Waterways 2006-07 371,000 68,246

Radio: Digital Broadcasting

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will commission research into the use of digital radio mondiale compared to digital audio broadcasting.

James Purnell: We have no plans to do so. Ofcom are responsible for spectrum planning and have a duty to ensure the optimal use of spectrum. As such, they will need to consider whether DRM can be a platform for future radio broadcasting, in conjunction with broadcasters.

Sport England: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding was provided to Sports England East Sussex in each of the last five years; and what the projected funding allocation is for the 2008-09 financial year.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sport England operates at regional level through nine regional offices. Sport England South East covers the East Sussex area.
	The table shows the Exchequer and Lottery funding which the Sport England South East Regional Office has awarded to East Sussex in the last five years to support and promote sporting activities and projects.
	Lottery Awards are made on the basis of merit in response to applications so funding levels will fluctuate over time and depending on the quality of projects that come forward seeking funding.
	
		
			  Financial year  Lottery ()  Exchequer () 
			 2003-04 0 17,200 
			 2004-05 1,710,039 173,875 
			 2005-06 638,449 440,300 
			 2006-07 0 253,392 
			 Grand total 2,348,488 884,767 
		
	
	The total award budget for Sport England South East region 2007-08 is:
	Exchequer: 1.9 million
	Lottery: 12.4 million
	Projected funding for the 2008-09 financial year will not be known until the outcome of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.

Sports: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many community sports coaches there are in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of such coaches.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Sussex County Sports Partnership advise that there are 41 Community Sports Coach posts in East Sussex. Eight of these posts are in Eastbourne and a further eight of these posts operate on a county wide basis.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) also provide grants to School Sports Partnerships (SSPs) to enable them to employ Community Sports Coaches. Three SSPs in East Sussex have received grants in 2007-08Beacon/North Wealdon, Dorothy Stringer and William Parker.
	Confirmation of continued DCMS funding for Community Sports Coaches is subject to the Comprehensive Spending Review. Further DCSF funding for coaches will be available from 2008-09 to deliver the five hour offer of sport to children and young people.

Visual Arts: Elderly

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to promote art as a way of improving the wellbeing of elderly people.

Margaret Hodge: The arts can play an important role in supporting the health and wellbeing of older people. There are many examples of excellent work which promotes art for elderly people across the country. The Arts Council and the Department of Health have jointly published 'A prospectus for arts and health' and a 'Dance and health' folder, which highlights a range of examples. Copies of these will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Arts Council is also planning to have a specific focus on older people in their next corporate plan.

PRIME MINISTER

10 Downing Street: Official Hospitality

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister what the date was of each reception he and his predecessor have held since May 2005; what the  (a) venue and  (b) purpose was of each; who (i) hosted and (ii) paid for each; what the estimated attendance was at each; and what the cost to the public purse was of each.

Gordon Brown: Information on receptions hosted by my predecessor for the financial year 2006-07 will be published shortly. For information prior to this date I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (the right hon. Tony Blair) on 11 October 2006,  Official Report, column 788W.

Delivery Unit

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 28 June 2007,  Official Report, column 39WS, on machinery of Government: departmental organisation, for what reasons the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit now reports jointly to him and the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Gordon Brown: I have nothing further to add to my written statement on 28 June 2007,  Official Report, column 39WS.

Departments: Correspondence

David Lidington: To ask the Prime Minister when his Office sent to the Home Department the correspondence dated 4 April from Mr R.N.R. of Aylesbury HP22 5NL, about the registration of a child as a British citizen, which the Direct Communications Unit of his Office acknowledged on 16 April.

Gordon Brown: My office received the letter on Thursday 12 April 2007 and passed it to the Home Office for action on Monday 16 April 2007.

Departments: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the  (a) responsibilities,  (b) units and  (c) personnel he is transferring to the Cabinet Office from his purview.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 2 July 2007,  Official Report, column 945W.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Theresa May: To ask the Prime Minister how many overseas visits were made by officials within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997.

Gordon Brown: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. Information for 2006-07 will be published in the normal way. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code. As set out in the new Ministerial Code, from next year, the list of overseas travel will cover all Ministers.

Dorneywood

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister on what date the Deputy Prime Minister vacated Dorneywood; and to what use the building is now being put.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (the right hon. Tony Blair) on 12 June 2006,  Official Report, column 883W, and to the press briefing given by my spokesman on 18 July 2007. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website (http://pm.gov.uk/output/Page12547.asp) and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Former Ministers

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Prime Minister if he will establish the practice of holding exit interviews with Ministers leaving the Government.

Gordon Brown: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given to him by my predecessor (Mr. Blair) on 8 January 2007,  Official Report, column 248W.

Government Bills

Robert Wilson: To ask the Prime Minister what procedures were followed in relation to informing HM the Queen about the announcement of the draft legislative programme; and if he will make a statement.

Gordon Brown: Discussions with Her Majesty the Queen are not disclosed.

Nuclear Weapons: Proliferation

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister what  (a) nuclear weapons reductions and  (b) non-proliferation matters were discussed at his meeting with the United Nations Secretary-General on 11 July.

Gordon Brown: I discussed a wide range of issues with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during his recent visit.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the press conference I held with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 11 July. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website
	(http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page12446.asp)
	and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Official Residences

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on his plans for the future use of  (a) Chequers and  (b) the official residential properties used by ministers;
	(2)  who the present occupants are of  (a) Chevening,  (b) the flat above number 11 Downing Street,  (c) the flat in 1 Carlton Gardens,  (d) Flat 1 in Admiralty House,  (e) Flat 2 in Admiralty House,  (f) Flat 3 in Admiralty House and  (g) Government House in Pimlico.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  who lives in the flat above Number 10 Downing Street;
	(2)  which Ministers have been allocated official Ministerial accommodation.

Gordon Brown: I refer the hon. Members to the press briefing given by my spokesman on 18 July 2007. A transcript of this is available on the No. 10 website (http://pm.gov.uk/output/Page12547.asp) and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.

Written Questions

Dai Davies: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy when answering written questions by reference to a comment made by his official spokesman in a press briefing to include the full relevant extract in the  Official Report rather than a direct reference to the appropriate URL to the press conference in question.

Gordon Brown: Where my answer refers to a specific document on the website, copies are made available to the hon. Member asking the question and are also placed in the Libraries of the House.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Support Agency: Debt Collection

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Child Support Agency arrears have been contracted out for private sector collection in each month from January 2005 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 July 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much Child Support Agency arrears have been contracted out for private sector collection in each month from January 2005 to June 2007; and if he will make a statement.
	The Child Support Agency conducted a pilot between August 2005 and December 2005 with two private debt collection agencies to assess the feasibility of involving the private sector in recovering child support maintenance debt. The Agency referred cases with a debt value of 30 million to the debt collection agencies involved in the pilot.
	Following the pilot and a procurement exercise, the Agency signed contracts with two debt collection agencies on 7 July 2006. The amount of child support maintenance debt exported to the debt collection agencies each month is included in the attached table.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Amount of child support maintenance debt referred to debt collection agencies 
			   Value () 
			  2006  
			 July 112,951 
			 August 2,314,650 
			 September 13,340,556 
			 October 12,845,655 
			 November 16,910,770 
			 December 22,708,701 
			   
			  2007  
			 January 12,914,223 
			 February 30,748,063 
			 March 29,439,756 
			 April 42,983,965 
			 May 36,948,660

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of  (a) all parents with care and  (b) all lone parents with care were receiving child support payments from the non resident parent in the latest period for which information is available.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 20 July 2007:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of (a) all parents with care and (b) all lone parents with care were receiving child support payments from the non-resident parent in the latest period for which information is available.
	The information requested in part (a) can be obtained from table 7.2 of the March 2007 Child Support Agency Quarterly Summary Statistics. A copy of this is available in the House of Commons Library, it is also available on the Internet via the following link: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/child_support/csa_quarterly_mar07.asp.
	Information on lone parents receiving child support cannot be provided, as the Agency does not hold information on whether a parent with care has a current partner.
	The information is case based, and a parent with care may be involved in more than one case.
	I hope you find this helpful.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will publish his Department's research on the effects of  (a) curfews and  (b) naming and shaming on child maintenance compliance; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: In the case of curfews, it is intended that this form of enforcement is used where other lesser and direct attempts to recover the unpaid maintenance have been tried but some or all of the amount remains outstanding.
	While research indicates that curfews do not tend to feature internationally, all major comparator countries that have a similar child maintenance system to the UK operate a range of enforcement options. Curfews will serve as an effective alternative to committal as such orders will create a strong incentive for the non-resident parent to pay, while not impeding his or her ability to do so by causing him or her to lose his job.
	In the case of 'naming and shaming' (the publication of the names of non-resident parents who have been successfully prosecuted for information offences on the CSA website) the Department is aware that a similar approach is used in some other child maintenance systems internationally.
	Both these policies need to be seen as part of the broader programme to build a stronger culture of compliance amongst non-resident parents. The intention is to promote the message that not paying for your children is unacceptable and brings consequences with it.

Children: Maintenance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether it is his policy that under the new Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, a person whose maintenance assessment is based on last year's HM Revenue and Customs income data will have an entitlement to recovery of a child maintenance overpayment if in-year income falls by up to but not in excess of 25 per cent.; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: There are no plans for the Commission to have an entitlement to recover a child maintenance overpayment if in-year income falls up to but not in excess of 25 per cent.
	Current plans are to amend a calculation based on HMRC latest tax year gross income if the current income differs by 25 per cent. or more. At the annual review, the latest available HMRC gross income will be used to set a new fixed term award.

Children: Poverty

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to introduce  (a) a measure of severe poverty and  (b) a severe child poverty action plan; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The chapter on child poverty in last year's Opportunity for All strategy report outlined the breadth of work underway across Government to ensure that our targets to halve and ultimately eradicate child poverty are met. These commitments reflect our wider ambition to ensure that every child has the best start in life and has an equal opportunity to fulfil their potential. We are making good progress; there were 600,000 fewer children in poverty in the UK (as measured by relative low income) in 2005-06 than there were in 1998-99.
	The Government's long-term measure for child poverty already includes three indicators developed following extensive consultation initiated by the DWP: absolute low income, relative low income, and material deprivation combined with relative low income. This long-term measure is also underpinned by the poverty and social exclusion indicators within Opportunity for All.
	There are a number of ways that depth of poverty can be measured. Our Opportunity for All indicators includes a range of income thresholds. In addition, we have a lower income threshold implied by the absolute low income tier within our long-term measure. These indicators enable us to analyse different depths of poverty and respond accordingly.

Departments: Consultants

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much the Department spent on  (a) management consultants and  (b) other external consultants and advisers in each year since 2000; and which of these consultants undertook work for the Department with a total contractual value in excess of 10 million over that period.

Anne McGuire: DWP was formed in June 2001. The following table provides spend on external consultants in each year, broken down between management and IT consultancy and includes spend on legal consultancy for 2006-07. Totals prior to 2006-07 could be obtained only by incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			   million( 1) 
			  Description  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Management consultancy 23.79 47.57 223.35 98.64 77.59 116.77 
			 IT consultancy 70.67 93.47 83.37 69.73 52.70 45.85 
			 Legal  16.40 
			 (1) Costs inclusive of VAT 
		
	
	For the second part of this question management information records are only available since April 2004. Contracts for consultancy related services with a total value of over 10 million awarded since this date are in the following table.
	
		
			million 
			  Supplier  Contract value 
			 Booz Allen Hamilton 86.79 
			 IBM UK Ltd 49.68 
			 Capgemini UK plc 26.25 
			 PA Consulting Services Limited 25.58 
			 Deloitte MCS Limited 10.31

Departments: Fringe Benefits

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department receive assistance from employee assistance programmes; and which firms provide the programmes.

Anne McGuire: All 120,487 staff employed by the Department for Work and Pensions, at all levels have access to the Department's employee assistance programme. This is provided by Right Corecare, a Manpower company.
	In the year ending 30 June 2007, 5,402 members of staff contacted the counselling, advice and information helplines.

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which legislative provisions introduced by his Department since 1997 have not yet been brought into force.

Anne McGuire: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  Acts introduced by DWP since 1997  Sections not yet in force 
			 Welfare Reform and Pensions Act 1999 Section 25 
			   
			 Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000 Section 28 
			  Schedules 5 para. 12(2)-(4) 
			  Schedule 7 paras. 17 and 18(2)(b) 
			  Schedule 9 part III (1) and part V 
			 Pensions Act 2004 Section 12(2)(c) 
			  Section 20(3)(c) 
			  Section 38(4) 
			  Section 38(7)(g) 
			  Section 41(10)(f) 
			  Section 42(2)(c) 
			  Section 43(7)(e) 
			  Section 47(4)(g) 
			  Section 50(10)(f) 
			  Section 95(1)(b)(ii) 
			  Section 96(6)(u) 
			  Section 101(2)(d) 
			  Section 108(3) 
			  Section 117(2)(b) 
			  Section 118 
			  Section 121(9)(b) 
			  Section 134(2)(d) 
			  Section 138(10)(a) 
			  Section 150(6)(d) 
			  Section 151(12)(a) 
			  Section 161(3)(b) 
			  Section 163(5)(b) 
			  Section 166(6) and (7) 
			  Section 169(2)(d) 
			  Section 173(1)(k) 
			  Section 177(6) and (7) 
			  Section 179(1)(b) 
			  Section 180(4) 
			  Section 181(2)(b) 
			  Section 187 
			  Section 188(3)(d) 
			  Section 189(3)(b) 
			  Section 209(4)(e) 
			  Section 209(5) 
			  Section 213(4)(e) 
			  Section 213(5)(e) 
			  Section 214(2)(k) 
			  Section 237 and 238 
			  Section 240 
			  Section 273 
			  Section 306(2)(i) 
			  Section 308 
			  Section 318(4)(b) 
			  Schedule 5 part 1 para. 13(3)(b) 
			  Schedule 12 para. 76(2)(e) 
			  Schedule 13 part 2 
			   
			 Disability Discrimination Act 2005 Section 6(1) and (2) 
			  Section 7 and 8 
			   
			 Welfare Reform Act 2007 Sections 1-30 
			  Section 31 (partly in force) 
			  Sections 32-39 
			  Section 40 (in force for certain purposes) 
			  Section 41 (partly in force) 
			  Sections 42 and 43 
			  Sections 46-53 
			  Section 56 and 57 
			  Section 58 (in force for certain purposes) 
			  Section 60 
			  Section 61 (partly in force) 
			  Section 63 (in force for certain purposes) 
			  Section 67 (in force for certain purposes) 
			  Schedule 1-4 
			  Schedule 5 (partly in force) 
			  Schedule 6 (in force for certain purposes) 
			  Schedule 7 (partly in force)

Departments: Legislation

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Bills introduced by his Department in the last five years have contained sunset clauses; and what plans he has for the future use of such clauses.

Anne McGuire: The only Bill introduced by the Department for Work and Pensions in the past five years which contained a sunset clause was the Bill for the Welfare Reform Act 2007 (see section 31(3) of that Act).
	While the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has no current plans for the future use of such clauses, he will consider their use when appropriate.

Departments: Public Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of its staff using public transport to commute.

Anne McGuire: The Department has 112,000 staff in 1,221 buildings. Due to the scale of our operations we do not collect information on the commuting choices of our staff, and have no plans to do so. It is not possible to estimate the number of staff using public transport to commute, as this would be different in every building. But a variety of information is provided to staff to help them make personal choices about their commuting journeys, via our intranet site and Sustainable Development staff magazinesuch as links to 'Transport Direct' and suggestions on car-sharing schemes. Businesses are encouraged to operate a green travel plan at those sites where one would be beneficial.

Departments: Translation Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on  (a) translation services and  (b) translators in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: The information is not available in the categorisations requested. In 2006-07, the Department spent around 267,500 on translation services including translators. Information is not available for previous years, other than at disproportionate cost.

Financial Assistance Scheme: Insurance

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has held with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the use of with profits insurance funds in support of the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Mike O'Brien: The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about this issue.

Financial Assistance Scheme: Pensions

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to make a statement on the findings of the Young review.

Mike O'Brien: On 16 July the interim report of the Financial Assistance Scheme Review of Scheme Assets was published and the House was informed via a written ministerial statement. At the same time, I welcomed the first findings of the review in a press notice issued by my Department.

Home Responsibilities Protection

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1226W, on home responsibilities protection (HRP), what estimate he has made of the number of women who began to receive state retirement pension who had any recorded HRP, including women for whom such HRP did not reduce the number of qualifying years needed for a full state pension, in each year between 1978-79 and 2004-05.

Mike O'Brien: The available information is set out in the following table.
	The second column of the table shows the number of women aged 60 in each financial year from 1985-86 to 2004-05 with some entitlement to basic state pension who had home responsibilities protection (HRP), including women for whom such HRP did not reduce the number of qualifying years required for a full basic state pension.
	
		
			  Number of women with HRP, including those for whom HRP did not reduce qualifying years needed for full BSP 
			   Number 
			 1985-86 20,000 
			 1986-87 30,000 
			 1987-88 30,000 
			 1988-89 40,000 
			 1989-90 50,000 
			 1990-91 60,000 
			 1991-92 60,000 
			 1992-93 60,000 
			 1993-94 70,000 
			 1994-95 70,000 
			 1995-96 80,000 
			 1996-97 80,000 
			 1997-98 100,000 
			 1998-99 100,000 
			 1999-2000 100,000 
			 2000-01 110,000 
			 2001-02 110,000 
			 2002-03 130,000 
			 2003-04 150,000 
			 2004-05 170,000 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000 and are consistent with the information supplied in the answer of 8 February 2007. 2. Figures refer to women living in the UK and overseas. 3. Information at this level of detail is not reliable before 1985. 4. Some women who reach state pension age in a particular year with some entitlement to basic state pension may defer their entitlement and claim in a later year. 5. HRP does not reduce the number of qualifying years required for a full basic state pension when that year is already a qualifying year or is one for which a married woman's reduced rate election is in force. 6. Figures refer to those women with some entitlement to basic state pension based on their own contribution record. Entitlement to basic state pension requires satisfying the 'first contribution condition' and the '25 per cent. rule'. Some women who do not satisfy one or both of these conditions may, nevertheless, also have HRP recorded.  Source: Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, 2003-04

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claimed incapacity benefit in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance (IB/SDA) claimants: Great Britain 
			   Number of claimants 
			 November 1997 2,837,400 
			 November 1998 2,767,400 
			 November 1999 2,738,130 
			 November 2000 2,764,140 
			 November 2001 2,787,710 
			 November 2002 2,818,480 
			 November 2003 2,822,270 
			 November 2004 2,814,410 
			 November 2005 2,752,900 
			 November 2006 2,714,950 
			  Notes:  1. Caseload figures from 1999 onwards are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied.  2. Caseload figures for 1997 and 1998 are rounded to the nearest hundred.  3. Caseloads for 1997 and 1998 have been produced using 5 per cent. data and have been rated up in accordance with the Great Britain WPLS 100 per cent. IB/SDA totals.  4. 1997 and 1998 figures are from a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.  5. From 6 April 2001, no new claims to SDA were accepted.  6. Figures include credits only cases.  Source:  1. DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, 1999 onwards.  2. Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample, 1997 and 1998.

Jobseekers Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 477W, on jobseeker's allowance (JSA), what proportion of JSA claimants have partners in each category.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 5 July 2007
	 The information requested is not available except at disproportionate cost.

New Deal for Disabled People

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants on the New Deal for Disabled People were taking part in the scheme for the second time or more in each month since 2001.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 10 July 2007
	 The number of participants on new deal for disabled people in each month since the start of the programme who were taking part in the scheme for the second time or more is contained in the following table:
	
		
			  Month  Participants taking part for second time or more 
			 July 2001 110 
			 August 2001 130 
			 September 2001 160 
			 October 2001 190 
			 November 2001 230 
			 December 2001 240 
			 January 2002 270 
			 February 2002 340 
			 March 2002 420 
			 April 2002 490 
			 May 2002 610 
			 June 2002 700 
			 July 2002 780 
			 August 2002 940 
			 September 2002 1,070 
			 October 2002 1,190 
			 November 2002 1,400 
			 December 2002 1,500 
			 January 2003 1,840 
			 February 2003 1,830 
			 March 2003 1,990 
			 April 2003 2,150 
			 May 2003 2,360 
			 June 2003 2,550 
			 July 2003 2,720 
			 August 2003 2,890 
			 September 2003 3,060 
			 October 2003 3,240 
			 November 2003 3,390 
			 December 2003 3,450 
			 January 2004 3,620 
			 February 2004 3,810 
			 April 2004 4,370 
			 May 2004 4,740 
			 June 2004 5,090 
			 July 2004 5,590 
			 August 2004 5,870 
			 September 2004 6,220 
			 October 2004 6,710 
			 November 2004 7,080 
			 December 2004 7,300 
			 January 2005 7,630 
			 February 2005 8,040 
			 March 2005 8,510 
			 April 2005 8,940 
			 May 2005 9,270 
			 June 2005 9,610 
			 July 2005 10,000 
			 August 2005 10,310 
			 September 2005 10,820 
			 October 2005 11,200 
			 November 2005 11,590 
			 December 2005 11,840 
			 January 2006 12,370 
			 February 2006 12,900 
			 March 2006 13,570 
			 April 2006 14,110 
			 May 2006 14,670 
			 June 2006 15,230 
			 July 2006 15,740 
			 August 2006 16,260 
			 September 2006 16,970 
			 October 2006 17,520 
			 November 2006 18,010 
			  Notes: 1. Latest data are to November 2006. 2. Figures are rounded to nearest 10.  Source: Information Directorate, DWP

New Deal Schemes: Employment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants left the new deal  (a) voluntary service,  (b) environmental task force,  (c) full-time education or training and  (d) employment option for employment in Liverpool and Wirral district in November 2006.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 11 July 2007
	The information is in the following table:
	
		
			  Stage of leaving new deal for young people  Number leaving to employment in Liverpool and Wirral in November 2006 
			 Employment option 10 
			 Full-time education/training 0 
			 Voluntary sector 0 
			 Environmental task force 0 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to nearest 10. 2. A total of 40 participants left new deal for young people at one of the four option stages in Liverpool and Wirral in November 2006 (not all of them left to employment).  Source: Information Directorate, DWP

New Deal Schemes: Expenditure

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on the  (a) new deal scheme,  (b) new deal 25 plus scheme and  (c) new deal for lone parents programme in each year since 1998.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer given to the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr. Hammond) on 4 June 2007,  Official Report, column 32W and to the Department for Work and Pensions Departmental Report 2007 (CM 7105).

Occupational Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of private sector employers offered pensions to their employees in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is presented in the following table:
	
		
			   Percentage of firms with any pension provision 
			 1998 34 
			 2000 29 
			 2003 52 
			 2005 44 
			  Notes: 1. All figures are estimates taken from the Employers' Pension Provision Survey. 2005 is the latest year published. The coverage of the survey is private sector employers in Great Britain. 2. Stakeholder pensions were introduced in April 2001, and from October 2001 employers with five or more employees and no other pension provision were required to provide access to stakeholder pensions. This is reflected in the increase in employer pension provision between 2000 and 2003. 3. Pension provision includes occupational schemes, group personal pensions, stakeholder pensions (including schemes with no members and/or no contributions) and firms that contribute to personal pensions.  Source: DWP Employers' Pension Provision Survey

Occupational Pensions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average pension paid from occupational pension schemes was in each year since 1997, expressed in real terms.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not available. The closest information available is the average occupational pension received by pensioner benefit units, as recorded in the Department's Family Resources Survey and shown in the following table. Latest information relates to 2005-06, so average amounts are shown in 2005-06 prices.
	
		
			  Average amount of occupational pension income for those in receipt, before tax 
			   per week, 2005-06 prices 
			   Pensioner couples  Single pensioners  All pensioner units 
			 1997-98 154 80 118 
			 1998-99 161 83 122 
			 1999-2000 163 86 124 
			 2000-01 178 89 134 
			 2001-02 182 88 137 
			 2002-03 178 93 137 
			 2003-04 193 93 144 
			 2004-05 196 99 150 
			 2005-06 192 99 146 
			  Notes: 1. Occupational pensions include widow's employee pensions and occupational pension from an overseas Government or company if paid in sterling. The average amount received by a pensioner benefit unit may include pensions paid from more than one occupational pension scheme. 2. Figures are for Great Britain. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest . 4. Based on survey data and as such subject to a degree of sampling and non sampling error. Users should not read too much into movements in data between single years. 5. Pensioner units are either pensioner couples or single pensioners. 6. Pensioner couples are couples where one or more of the adults are state pension age or over.  Source: Pensioners' Income Series, 2005-06 (Revised)

Pathways to Work

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to enable voluntary and private sector providers to deliver Pathways to Work services at a sub-regional level.

Caroline Flint: Pathways to Work is currently being delivered to 40 per cent. of the country by Jobcentre Plus. We have invited private, voluntary and public sector providers to bid for contracts to deliver Pathways to Work in the remaining 60 per cent. of the country. Contract areas will be based on Jobcentre Plus Districts rather than regions. This is being tendered in two waves with the first 15 districts going live in December 2007 and the remaining 16 districts in April 2008.

Pensions: Financial Assistance Scheme

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what the average payment will be under the Financial Assistance Scheme for a member of the Abingdon Carpets pension scheme;
	(2)  how many members of the Abingdon Carpets pension scheme are forecast to receive 80 per cent. of their core pension under the Financial Assistance Scheme.

Mike O'Brien: Abingdon Carpets' pension scheme qualified for Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS) on 25 October 2005. Five members of the scheme are currently in receipt of FAS initial payments, these are currently set at 60 per cent. of the expected core pension, but will rise to 80 per cent. once the scheme fully winds up.
	The average yearly payment these members receive is 1194.58p (gross), 931.90p (net).
	Under the changes to the FAS announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget Statement on 21 March 2007, all qualifying members of a qualifying pension scheme stand to receive 80 per cent. of their expected core pension (subject to the cap)
	The changes require regulations which we hope will come into force before the end of the year.

State Retirement Pensions: Wansdyke

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of the state retirement pension there are in Wansdyke constituency.

Mike O'Brien: The information as at November 2006 is in the following table.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Men 7,350 
			 Women 12,050 
			 Total 19,410 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. The constituency used for the state pension data is that used for the Westminster Parliament.  Source: DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Taxation: Fringe Benefits

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Treasury on the taxation of employee assistance programmes as a benefit in kind.

Anne McGuire: There are regular meetings with Treasury officials on a wide range of matters affecting the Department.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Aerials: Planning Permission

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new mobile telephone masts were erected in  (a) Hampshire and  (b) England in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment she has made of the level of anti-Semitism in the UK; and if she will make a statement.

Parmjit Dhanda: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not carry out assessments on the level of anti-Semitism in the UK. However, hate crime of this nature is a matter the police take seriously. There is good cooperation between the Community Security Trust and police forces in areas with a significant Jewish community.

Council Housing: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many council houses are planned to be built  (a) in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne and  (b) in Newcastle upon Tyne North constituency in each of the next five years.

Iain Wright: Plans for new housing will be developed in the context of sub-regional housing strategies. The Housing Green Paper will set out ways to increase the supply of affordable housing, with a bigger role for local authorities.

Council Housing: Standards

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what proportion of council houses were classified as non-decent  (a) in 2004 and  (b) at the latest date for which figures are available; and how many and what proportion of the total stock of council houses are awaiting repair.

Iain Wright: In 2004 the English Housing Condition Survey estimated there were 800,000 non-decent council homes representing 35 per cent. of the total council stock. Latest figures from the survey for 2005 estimate a reduction to 730,000 non-decent homes, 34 per cent. of total stock.
	The survey also indicates that, among those non-decent homes, 185,000 failed its repair criterion, representing 8 per cent. of total council stock in 2004. For 2005 the figures are 150,000 failing the repair criterion, representing 7 per cent. of total council stock.
	In order to be decent, homes must be in a reasonable state of repair. Details of the repair criterion and the decent homes standard are published on the Communities and Local Government website at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1152190.

Council Tax

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for the council tax collection rates of  (a) Manchester,  (b) Salford and  (c) Hackney councils in 2006-07.

John Healey: The collection and enforcement of council tax is a matter for individual billing authorities. Communities and Local Government has made no assessment of the reasons for 2006-07 collection rates in Manchester, Salford or Hackney. Across England, in-year collection of council tax rose for the seventh successive year in 2006-07, to 96.9 per cent. of the total collectable.

Council Tax: Bankruptcy

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which local authorities pursue council tax arrears using petitions for bankruptcy; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The information requested is not held centrally.

Council Tax: Bankruptcy

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will issue guidance to local authorities on the pursuance of council tax arrears using petitions for bankruptcy; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/613) provide billing authorities with a range of powers to enforce payment of council tax from those who refuse to pay. It is up to each billing authority to consider how best to use these powers in the interests of all their taxpayers who do pay their bills. The Department has no plans to issue guidance on using petitions for bankruptcy.

Departments: Berkeley Group

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the right hon. Member for Hull East met  (a) directors, representatives or lawyers acting for and  (b) employees of (i) Berkeley Group Holdings plc, (ii) St. George plc, (iii) Berkeley Homes plc, (iv) St. James Group Ltd, (v) Berkeley First Ltd, (vi) Berkeley Commercial Development Ltd and (vii) Berkeley Strategic Land Ltd in a ministerial capacity since June 1997; and whether any officials in her Department held such meetings.

Iain Wright: A precise answer to this question could be provided only at disproportionate cost, given the span of 10 years.

Departments: Ministerial Red Boxes

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many ministerial red boxes her Department bought in each of the last five years; what the cost of each was; who the suppliers were; and what tendering process was used in selecting them.

Iain Wright: The information for Communities and Local Government and its predecessor Department the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is as follows:
	
		
			   Number of ministerial red boxes  Total cost () 
			 2003 5 4,888 
			 2004 0  
			 2005 0  
			 2006 3 2,532 
			 2007 0  
		
	
	The supplier was Banner Business Supplies Ltd through a call-off contract arrangement.
	Ministerial boxes are used by successive Ministers over many years.

Departments: Public Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of its staff using public transport to commute.

Iain Wright: Based on our most recent sample survey of staff we estimate that 93 per cent. of staff working at London headquarters use public transport for the main part of their journey to work. The Department makes provision for those who wish to cycle to work but limited car parking is only provided for those with medically certified requirements. Loans are available for either season ticket or cycle purchase to encourage the use of these modes of transport.

Derelict Land: Greater London

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning applications for housing developments in London on brownfield sites were rejected by the Planning Inspectorate in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: The Planning Inspectorate does not record information centrally relating specifically to planning applications on brownfield sites being rejected. It cannot be retrieved without disproportionate cost.

First Time Buyers

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average age of  (a) males and  (b) females, when they move out of the parental home; and what the average age of first time buyers in (i) Hampshire and (ii) England was in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Data at the Hampshire level are unavailable due to sample sizes. The information for first time buyers is provided for the UK rather than England.
	Based on the Survey of English Housing for 2005-06, the average age of males when leaving the parental home in England was estimated at 25 years. The average age for females in England was estimated at 22 years.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) figures for median age of first time buyers are available on their website at:
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/filegrab/1ML2.xls?ref=4624
	This is based on data from all mortgage completions in the UK and the data are presented in the following table:
	
		
			  Median age of first time buyer: UK 
			   Age 
			 1997 29 
			 1998 29 
			 1999 30 
			 2000 30 
			 2001 30 
			 2002 31 
			 2003 31 
			 2004 31 
			 2005 30 
			 2006 29 
			  Source:  CML.

Floods: Finance

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, column 77W, on Floods: Milton Keynes, 
	(1)  why Milton Keynes Unitary Authority did not receive a payment from the Flood Recovery Grant Scheme;
	(2)  what criteria were used in assessing which local authorities received payments from the Flood Recovery Grant Scheme;

John Healey: As announced by the Prime Minister on 7 July, the 10 million Flood Recovery Grant Scheme was established to support the work being undertaken by local authorities in helping their communities to recover from the exceptional and widespread flooding which had occurred.
	Our particular intention was that authorities should use it to help those in greatest and most immediate need, and on that basis we developed a methodology which balanced fairness with moving rapidly to announcing allocations. Informed by a brief and useful consultation with local government, I allocated grant on the basis of the relative numbers of households affected by flooding in lower-tier local authority areas. This was explained in the letters sent by officials notifying chief executives that grant had been allocated to their authorities. The allocations confirmed on both 13 and 20 July were based on the best available such information held at the time of decision.

Floods: Rescue Services

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to review the Fire and Rescue Service's capability to respond to incidents of flooding.

Parmjit Dhanda: Communities and Local Government is conducting a lessons learned exercise into the Fire and Rescue Service's response to the recent flooding, as a contribution to the wider Cabinet Office-led review of the wider flood management and response. Any identified issues relating to flood response capability will be addressed appropriately. A flooding workstream, led by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as part of the cross-government Capabilities Programme, assesses whether local responders have what they need to address the flooding risks we face. This complements capability assessments made by responders at the local level.

Hazardous Substances: Castle Point

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) objections and  (b) letters of support were received within the specified time limit in respect of the Calor Gas LNG applications  (a) CPT/3/06/HAZ,  (b) CPT/4/06/FUL and  (c) CPT413/06/FUL.

Iain Wright: Officials will collate this information as soon as possible. I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Hazardous Substances: Planning Permission

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what advice her Department gives on the siting of control of major accident hazards sites to planning authorities and inspectors;
	(2)  how many control of major accident hazards site applications were  (a) made and  (b) appealed against in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  what estimate she has made of the safe distance for separation for control of major accident hazards sites from  (a) residential houses,  (b) schools and  (c) businesses; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 16 May 2007
	Decisions on proposals for development are taken by a local planning authority, or a Planning Inspector, in accordance with its development plan. Decisions are based upon the plans and policies contained within the regional spatial strategy prepared by the regional planning body and local development documents prepared by the local planning authority.
	The Town and Country Planning (Regional Planning) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI No. 2203) and the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 (SI No. 2204) specify the form and content of regional spatial strategies and development plan documents. In preparing their plans, planning bodies are required to have regard to the objectives of preventing major accidents and of limiting the consequences of such accidents; and to the need, in the long term, to maintain appropriate distances between major accident hazards sites and residential areas and other locations frequented by the public.
	Guidance issued in Planning Policy Statement 12 on Local Development Frameworks makes clear that, in preparing or reviewing local development documents, local planning authorities need to ensure that they include a policy or policies on the location of establishments where hazardous substances are used or stored, and on the development of land within the vicinity of such establishments. Article 10 of the Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure Order) 1995 requires a local planning authority to consult the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency before determining planning applications for new major accident hazard sites, or for modifications to existing sites. They must also consult with these bodies when residential and other specified types of development is proposed within an area that the Health and Safety Executive has notified to the local planning authority because of the presence of hazardous substances within the vicinity.
	Applications for development of sites that fall within the scope of control of major accident hazards regulations are made to local planning authorities. Records of such applications are not held centrally and the information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	With regard to appropriate separation distances, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 July 2007,  Official Report, UIN 150808.

Homelessness

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many people were sleeping rough  (a) three months ago,  (b) six months ago,  (c) 12 months ago and  (d) at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government publishes an annual national rough sleeping estimate. The most recent estimate, published in September 2006, showed 502 people were sleeping rough in England on any single night.

Homelessness: Finance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding  (a) Leeds city council and  (b) voluntary sector organisations in Leeds have received from the Homelessness Directorate under the Hostels Improvement Programme.

Iain Wright: Leeds city council has received 430,000 funding under the Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP) for Faith Lodge hostel run by St. George's Crypt . The HCIP will provide over 90 million in the period 2004-05 to 2007-08, to around 175 projects in 62 local authority areas in England to make hostels and other facilities for homeless people places of change. 14 projects have been allocated HCIP funding totalling over 8 million in Yorkshire and Humberside region.

Homelessness: Government Assistance

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government spent on organisations to help the homeless in  (a) Southampton,  (b) Hampshire and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: There are two grant programmes that specifically support organisations to help the homeless. The Supporting People programme, implemented in 2003 and the Homelessness Grant programme.
	The following tables indicate the amount of funding.
	
		
			  Supporting People Programme 
			   
			  Total  Southampton  Hampshire  England 
			 2003-04 4,279,742 3,503,139 353,318,583 
			 
			 2004-05 4,249,000 3,485,000 350,677,000 
			 
			 2005-06 3,964,584 3,867,949 317,503,012 
		
	
	
		
			  Homelessness Programme 
			   
			   Southampton  Hampshire  England 
			 
			 1997-98 0 0 15,800,000 
			 Total   15,800,000 
			 
			 1998-99 0 0 19,600,000 
			 Total   19,600,000 
			 
			 1999-2000 0 0 25,700,000 
			 Total 0 0 25,700,000 
			 
			 2000-01 0 0 31,500,000 
			 Total   31,500,000 
			 
			 2001-02 0 0 40,100,000 
			 Total   40,100,000 
			 2002-03 562,000 1,280,000 71,358,000 
			 Total   73,200,000 
			 
			 2003-04 474,000 1,300,000 69,726,000 
			 Total   71,500,000 
			 
			 2004-05 590,000 1,350,000 75,260,000 
			 Total   77,200,000 
			 
			 2005-06 630,000 1,440,000 100,043,000 
			 Total   102,500,000 
			 
			 2006-07 1,407,000 2,346,000 86,247,000 
			 Total   90,000,000

Housing: Bournemouth

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes there were in Bournemouth in  (a) 2001,  (b) 2003 and  (c) 2007.

Iain Wright: holding answer 12 July 2007
	 The dwelling stock in Bournemouth local authority area in 2001, 2003 and 2006 was 76,485; 76,798 and 86,138 respectively. Figures are as reported by the local authority and represent the stock as at 31 March in each year. The Department does not yet have the equivalent figures for 2007.
	 Source:
	Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix from local authorities

Housing: Combined Heat And Power

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on the opportunities for the installation of community and large-scale combined heat and power and their associated heat grids in the new housing development and eco-towns announced by the Prime Minister to the House on 11 July.

Yvette Cooper: I am today launching the Eco-towns Prospectus, which sets out the Government's vision for new towns of five to 20,000 homes which will be exemplar green developments, with the aim of achieving zero carbon across the whole development. Community and large scale combined heat and power could play an important role in meeting this objective and we are looking to each project to act as an exemplar for particular aspects of low and zero carbon technology. Alongside this and other sustainability objectives, we intend that eco-towns should play a key role in easing the affordability crisis by ensuring that between 30 and 50 per cent. of their new housing is affordable as well as meeting our other essential criteria on high quality design, good provision for jobs, sustainable travel, services and community development. The launch of the prospectus today will be accompanied by an invitation for local authorities and other stakeholders to respond with their views on potential sites.

Housing: Construction

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses were built by  (a) the private sector,  (b) housing associations and  (c) local authorities in each year since 1990.

Iain Wright: New build completions by tenure in each year since 1991-92 are tabulated as follows.
	
		
			  New build completions by tenure, England 
			   Total( 1)  Private( 2)  Local authority( 1)  Registered social landlords( 3) 
			 1991-92 155,132 125,058 7,113 22,961 
			 1992-93 142,461 98,880 2,579 41,002 
			 1993-94 147,714 103,538 1,451 42,725 
			 1994-95 157,966 110,947 853 46,166 
			 1995-96 154,599 103,873 757 49,969 
			 1996-97 146,246 112,188 451 33,607 
			 1997-98 149,555 121,022 323 28,210 
			 1998-99 140,708 113,992 178 26,538 
			 1999-2000 142,046 119,667 58 22,321 
			 2000-01 133,255 112,137 179 20,939 
			 2001-02 129,866 108,064 63 21,739 
			 2002-03 137,739 116,202 199 21,338 
			 2003-04 143,958 119,819 191 23,948 
			 2004-05 155,893 128,422 100 27,371 
			 2005-06 163,398 130,072 299 33,027 
			 2006-07 167,691 145,554 245  
			  Sources: (1) Total and local authority new build completions from P2 returns submitted local authorities and National House Building Council (NHBC) (2) Private tenure is derived from the total P2 completions minus local authority and Housing Corporation registered social landlord figures. These figures will not match published live tables which are sourced from P2 only. (3) Figures are total affordable new build as reported by the Housing Corporation and include social for rent and intermediate housing eg low cost home ownership. 
		
	
	New build registered social landlord and council dwellings only make up part of the affordable supply; the remainder being acquired by registered social landlords. In 2005-06, acquisitions by registered social landlords numbered 11,834, taking the total affordable housing provision to 44,861.

Housing: Energy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects the national calculation methodology for delivering the energy performance of buildings to be made available; and when it will be included within the building regulations.

Iain Wright: The Notice of Approval of methodologies for calculating the energy performance of buildings (approved for the purposes of regulation 17A of the Building Regulations) was published on 11 May 2007. Methodologies are available or are in the process of being developed for different types of building and application. A complete set of calculation methodologies is expected to be available in the autumn.

Housing: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of  (a) local authority,  (b) housing association,  (c) private sector and  (d) all housing in (i) Castle Point and (ii) Essex was judged to be unfit in each year since 2002.

Iain Wright: The percentage of  (a) local authority,  (b) housing association,  (c) private sector and  (d) all housing in (i) Castle Point and (ii) Essex, judged to be unfit in each year since 2002 is given in the following table. The data are as reported by local authorities.
	
		
			  Table 1: Percentage of unfit dwellings within each tenure and all housing, as reported by local authorities 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			   Castle Point  Essex  Castle Point  Essex  Castle Point  Essex  Castle Point  Essex  Castle Point  Essex 
			  (a) LA 2.1 3.4 0 0.1 0 0.0 0 0.5 0 0.6 
			  (b) HA 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.1 0 0.2 0 0.6 
			  (c) Private Sector 5.5 3.2 5.2 3.2 4.1 2.7 4.5 2.1 2.0 2.8 
			  (d) Total 5.3 2.6 4.9 2.3  1.4 4.2 1.7 1.9 2.4 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return (HSSA).

Housing: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent estimate is of the average rent levels in Essex for  (a) council,  (b) housing association and  (c) private rented accommodation.

Iain Wright: The average weekly rent in Essex as at 31 March 2006 for  (a) council and  (b) housing association is 62.29 and 75.01 respectively. Information on average rent in  (c) private rented accommodation in Essex is not available, although at regional level, the average monthly rent in the East of England is 530 per month.
	Average weekly rents by local authority district are published for  (a) the local authority sector and  (b) the registered social landlord sector on the Communities and Local Government website in tables 702 and 704 respectively. The links for these tables are given as follows:
	Table 702: http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/266/Table702_ id1156266.xls
	Table 704: http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/268/Table704_ id1156268.xls
	Information on  (c) average rent paid by private renters in Essex is not available. This information is available by region on the Communities and Local Government website in table 734. The link for this table is given as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/282/Table734_id1156282.xls

Housing: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what land holdings disposals were made by each council district, unitary and county council area in Hampshire between 1997 and 2006 which have been built on for housing; and what percentage of housing was affordable.

Iain Wright: The depth of information requested by the hon. Member is not kept centrally by Government Departments. I would suggest that he direct this enquiry to the local planning authorities for the areas in which he is interested.

Housing: Hampshire

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what land is planned to be disposed of by each council district, unitary and county council in Hampshire between 2007 and 2011; how many houses are expected to be built; and what percentage is expected to be affordable housing.

Iain Wright: The information requested by the hon. Member is not kept centrally by Government Departments. I would suggest that he direct this enquiry to the local planning authorities for the areas in which he is interested. Future figures on affordable housing are determined by local planning authorities who have a range of affordable housing policies in place with a variable threshold and percentage sought for affordable housing.

Housing: Hazardous Substances

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on separation distances between sites with potential for major accidents and residential areas in common usage among major international comparators; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department has commissioned no research on separation distances between sites with the potential for major accident hazards and residential use.
	It is for local planning authorities to determine whether development should be allowed in the vicinity of sites with the potential for major accident hazards.
	Local planning authorities are notified by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) of a consultation distance around such sites and they must take account of the HSE's advice of the level of risk for any development proposed with this area.
	HSE reviews consultation distances around these sites in the light of new information about the risks such sites present, including information obtained by evaluation of accidents in other countries.

Housing: Immigration

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her most recent assessment is of the likely impact of net immigration on housing demand in England over the next 20 years; and what assessments have been made of this impact in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The 2004 based household projections show that the biggest factor contributing to household growth is an increasing tendency for people to live alone.
	Since 1997, Communities and Local Government have released three sets of household projections that included an assessment of the impact of migration on household formation.
	 2004 based household projections: Released March 2007
	These project the formation of 223,000 additional households each year between 2004 and 2026 of which 73,000 (33 per cent.) are attributable to net migration into England.
	 2003 based household projections: Released March 2006
	These projected the formation of 209,000 additional households each year between 2003 and 2026 of which 65,000 (31 per cent.) were attributable to net migration into England.
	 1996 based household projections: Released October 1999
	These projected the formation of 150,000 additional households each year between 2001 and 2021 of which 38,000 (26 per cent.) were attributable to net migration into England.

Housing: Low Incomes

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of all planning permissions granted  (a) for part or full residential developments and  (b) for all homes in each planning authority in the Government zone of the south-west in each of the last 10 years for which records are available were for affordable homes.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today, (UIN 148447).

Housing: Low Incomes

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what mechanism she monitors local planning authority decisions on affordable housing in Cornwall.

Iain Wright: holding answer 9 July 2007
	The Secretary of State monitors housing projects where registered social landlords are or will be involved, through local housing authorities returns. This will include most projects which include affordable housing, but not necessarily all, because private sector developers may also plan to build units of affordable housing. She does not monitor planning decisions for affordable housing as such. Local authorities monitor the actual delivery of affordable housing in their annual monitoring reports which are published and submitted to the Secretary of State. In Penwith district 31 affordable houses were built in 2005-06, 10 per cent. of the total new houses built. In Kerrier district, 22 affordable houses were built in 2005-06, 9 per cent. of the new houses built.

Housing: Low Incomes

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1340W, on housing: low incomes, what the  (a) estimated and  (b) actual (i) costs and (ii) receipts of the Design for Manufacture competition have been to English Partnerships, broken down by type; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 16 July 2007
	 This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Housing: Low Incomes

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2007,  Official Report, column 1340W, on housing: low incomes, how many affordable homes are being built across the 10 new mixed communities developments, broken down by  (a) development site and  (b) type of tenure; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 16 July 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) on 26 June 2007 to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles)  Official Report, column 628W. Each of the 10 sites included in the Design for Manufacture competition will include a high proportion of affordable homes of different tenures, such as social rent or homes available for share equity purchase.

Housing: Low Incomes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many new social housing units were built in the last  (a) one,  (b) two and  (c) five years.

Iain Wright: holding answer 16 July 2007
	 The numbers of homes built for social rent, in England, in the last one, two and five years are tabulated in the following table. Not all social rent housing supply is through new build completions; supply can also come from the acquisition and refurbishment of private sector homes. For completeness the numbers of social rent homes provided through the acquisition and refurbishment of market properties are also shown.
	
		
			  Social rent housing s upply: England 
			  1 April to 31 March  New build  Acquisitions  Total supply 
			 2005-06 (one year) 20,912 2,437 23,349 
			 2004-06 (two years) 39,315 5,051 44,366 
			 2001-06 (five years) 93,785 23,944 117,729 
			  Source: Statistical returns from local authorities. Housing Corporation

Housing: Low Incomes

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what requirements her Department makes of local authorities wishing to renegotiate section 106 agreements.

Iain Wright: Planning obligations (also known as section 106 agreements), may be discharged or modified by agreement between the local planning authority and all the persons against whom they are enforceable, or by application to the local planning authority after five years.
	The powers for modifying and discharging planning obligations are contained in sections 106A and 106B of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
	Requirements placed on local planning authorities for the handling of applications are set out in the Town and Country Planning (Modification and Discharge of Planning Obligations) Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2832).
	These regulations require that local planning authorities publicise applications, including making available for inspection the relevant part of the instrument which created the obligation; invite and consider representations from the public; give clear and precise reasons for their decision; and inform applicants of their right of appeal.

Housing: Low Incomes

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the sites being considered by the Government for release for development of affordable homes include sites owned by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Yvette Cooper: The recent review of surplus sites owned by central Government Departments and their agencies identified over 550 new sites, in addition to those which were not already on the register of surplus public sector sites. The review of central Government surplus sites is continuing and English Partnerships is undertaking an immediate evaluation of the potential for additional housing on these sites, including one site owned by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
	The Ministry of Defence will release seven major sites immediately to English Partnerships with potential for 7,000 new and affordable homes, including sites at Aldershot and Chichester. A review is being undertaken to identify further sites.
	A portfolio of Highways Agency and the British Rail Residuary Body surplus sites is being identified and transferred to English Partnerships and brought forward for new and affordable housing.
	The Department of Health will transfer 13 new sites into the programme for new and affordable homes. In addition, NHS Trusts are identifying the surplus land they hold with potential for further new housing.

Housing: Sales

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many and what percentage of houses were sold by the Government in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the south west and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: Information is available on numbers of local authority dwellings sold through the right to buy scheme. The numbers of right to buy sales and local authority stock figures for each year since 1998-99 are tabulated as follows. Figures for these areas prior to 1998-99 are not readily available.
	
		
			  Sales and stock of local authority social rent housing 
			   1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			  Cornwall 
			 Council stock at beginning of period 15,745 15,524 11,701 11,471 11,250 11,008 10,819 10,733 
			 Right to buy sales during period 205 305 232 218 245 187 80 27 
			 Proportion of stock sold during period (percentage) 1.3 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.2 1.7 0.7 0.3 
			  
			  South West 
			 Council stock at beginning of period 214,187 184,284 170,190 155,920 152,558 145,689 139,737 136,153 
			 Right to buy sales during period 3,276 3,708 3,157 2,739 3,035 2,521 1,443 818 
			 Proportion of stock sold during period (percentage) 1.5 2.0 1.9 1.8 2.0 1.7 1.0 0.6 
			  
			  England 
			 Council stock at beginning of period 3,309,244 3,177,507 3,011,995 2,811,931 2,706,036 2,456,917 2,334,631 2,165,526 
			 Right to buy sales during period 40,272 54,251 52,380 51,968 63,394 69,577 49,983 26.654 
			 Proportion of stock sold during period (percentage) 1.2 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.3 2.8 2.1 1 .2 
			  Notes:  1. Figures shown are as reported by local authorities.  2. Cornwall has been defined to include the local authority areas of Caradon. Carrick, Kerrier, North Cornwall, Penwith and Restormel.  Source:  Statistical returns from local authorities (HSSA. P1B)

Housing: Standards

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to ensure that the Planning Inspectorate make clear to developers and local authorities that low quality in the design of housing schemes is a legitimate basis upon which planning applications may be refused; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 16 July 2007
	Planning policy statement (PPS) 1: Delivering Sustainable Development emphasises the importance of good design in new development and PPS3: Housing seeks to achieve high quality housing. Planning inspectors are aware of the heightened importance of good design in new housing development, of the need for housing schemes to be appropriate to their context and locally distinctive, and to take opportunities for improving an area's character and quality. The Department is aware that inspectors, in applying the policies in these PPSs and related Government documents, are refusing housing appeals on grounds of failure to meet these policies.

Housing: Sutton

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she received the Sutton Housing Partnership's decent homes funding bid; when she expects to acknowledge its receipt; and when she expects to make a decision about the bid.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government received the funding bid from Sutton Housing Partnership on 31 July 2006 under Round 6 of the Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO) decent homes programme, and acknowledged receipt on that date. We have received many bids in Round 6 from local authorities who are seeking to secure additional funding and join those already on the ALMO programme. We are continuing to consider these bids very carefully, paying particular attention to overall costs and value for money, in the context of the current Comprehensive Spending Review.

Housing: Thames Gateway

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what response she has made to the recommendations made by the Williams Commission in its report, Quality First: The Commission on Design of Affordable Housing in the Thames Gateway; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: holding answer 16 July 2007
	The Housing Corporation will launch its full prospectus for the next Affordable Housing Programme in September. The Corporation is proposing to include a substantial section on the Thames Gateway covering the approach and response to the Williams report. We will consider these proposals prior to publication of the prospectus.

Industrial Development: Planning Permission

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what planning guidelines she plans to issue to local authorities on the effect of the climate change targets for 2010 on planning applications for industrial development.

Iain Wright: The Government published a draft planning policy statement (PPS) on climate change for consultation at the end of 2006. This makes clear that planning should be a positive force for change and help secure progress against the UK's emissions targets, both by direct influence on energy use and emissions, and in bringing together and encouraging action by others. The PPS will apply to all development; it expects all planning authorities, in enabling the provision of new homes, jobs, services and infrastructure and shaping the places where people live and work, to secure the highest viable standards of resource and energy efficiency and reduction in carbon emissions. The final PPS will be published later this year.

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to assist local authorities in implementing their obligations under the single status agreement.

John Healey: Local authorities are responsible for meeting their statutory requirements as employers, and for implementing any agreements which they may make.
	We are considering requests for equal pay capitalisation in the current financial year.

Local Government: Cumbria

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will ensure that a current Minister in her Department meets representatives from Cumbrian district councils before any decision is made on the bid for unitary status from Cumbria county council.

John Healey: During our stakeholder consultation there was the opportunity for all local authorities to meet Ministers and to make written representations. The consultation period ended on the 22 June. In the interests of fairness and impartiality, during this stage of the process, it would not be appropriate for me to have meetings with any affected councils to discuss unitary proposals.

Multiple Occupation: Tyne and Wear

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many houses in multiple occupation there were in each local authority in Tyne and Wear in each year since 2001 as recorded in the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix.

Iain Wright: The number of houses in multiple occupation in each local authority within the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear in each year since 2001, as recorded in the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix, is given in the following table:
	
		
			  Number of houses in multiple occupation (whether registered or not) as at 1 April by region, as reported by local authorities 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Gateshead 30 30 100 100 86 51 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 1,000  3,262 1,000 4,000  
			 North Tyneside 150 141 141 141 149 152 
			 South Tyneside 130 52 38 36 31  
			 Sunderland 1,546 1,000 800 640 742 1,419 
			 Tyne and Wear (metropolitan county) 2,856 1,223 4,341 1,917 5,008 1,622 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return (HSSA)

Planning Reform Bill

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects to be in a position to publish the Planning Reform Bill.

John Healey: The Planning Reform Bill is among the proposed Bills for the third session set out in the draft legislative programme in The Governance of BritainThe Government's Draft Legislative Programme (CM 7175). It will not be published before the Queen's Speech.

Regional Government

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what administrative support her Department is providing to the new Ministers for the Regions.

John Healey: On the 28 June 2007 the Prime Minister appointed my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) to be Minister for the South West. The role of Regional Ministers is set out in paragraphs 115 to 118 in 'The Governance of Britain'.

Regional Government: South West Region

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will list the duties and responsibilities of the Minister for the south-west region; what the budget is for that position; how many staff are employed in relation to those duties; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: On the 28 June 2007 the Prime Minister appointed my hon. Friend the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw) to be Minister for the south-west. The role of Regional Ministers is set out in paragraphs 115 to 118 in 'The Governance of Britain'.

Right To Buy Scheme

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to restrict tenants' right to buy council and housing association properties in England.

Iain Wright: There are no plans for any restrictions on the right of social tenants to buy the homes that they rent from local authority or housing association landlords in England.

Rights of Way

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the independent Planning Commission proposed in the White Paper Planning for a Sustainable Future will have the power to close and divert public rights of way; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: As explained in chapter 5 of Planning for a Sustainable Future (cm 7120), we propose that within the new single unified consent regime the infrastructure planning commission would have the power to close and divert public rights of way where they are considered necessary for the development of a nationally significant infrastructure project. Consistent with existing legislation, the power would only be exercised where the commission is satisfied that alternative rights of way are being provided or the current rights of way are not needed.

Second Homes

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many second homes there were in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the south west and  (c) England in each year since 1997; and what percentage of all homes this represented.

Iain Wright: The number of second homes in  (a) Cornwall,  (b) the south west and  (c) England in each year since 1997; and what percentage of all homes this represented is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Period  Cornwall  South West  England 
			   Number  Percentage of all homes  Number  Percentage of all homes  Number  Percentage of all homes 
			 1997-98(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a 203,000 1.0 
			 1998-99(1) n/a n/a n/a n/a 224,000 1.1 
			 1999-2000(1) n/a n/a 41,000 1.9 234,000 1.1 
			 2000-01(1) n/a n/a 41,000 2.0 241,000 1.2 
			 2001-02(1) n/a n/a 39,000 1.9 226,000 1.1 
			 2002-03(1) n/a n/a 49,000 2.3 235,000 1.1 
			 2003-04(1) n/a n/a 60,000 2.8 253,000 1.2 
			 2004(2) 13,509 5.7 50,397 2.2 228,896 1.0 
			 2005(2) 13,221 5.6 50,250 2.2 236,331 1.1 
			 2006(2) 13,040 5.4 51,459 2.2 240,047 1.1 
			 Sources: (1 )Survey of English Housing (three-year moving averages). (2) Council Tax Base returns Note: n/a = not available. 
		
	
	For 1997-98 to 2003-04, the data shown are estimates from the Survey of English Housing. Estimates for Cornwall are not available because it is only a sample survey and reliable estimates can only be derived down to regional level.
	For 2004 to 2006, the data are based on Council Tax Base returns that are completed by local authorities. These figures are only available from 2004 onwards.

Social Policy: Australia

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will hold discussions with her Australian counterpart on lessons which can be drawn from public policy on matters of social cohesion in Australia.

Parmjit Dhanda: Officials in the Department have regular dialogue with counterparts in Australia working on social cohesion, and regularly engage with delegations from Australia and other countries to consider international comparisons.

Travelling People

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what provision is planned for traveller sites within the proposed eco-towns.

Iain Wright: Eco-towns, as announced in the Government statement of 7 March 2007, will be sustainable communities supporting a mix of housing types and tenure. Subject to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review, decisions about the detailed criteria and housing mix for eco-towns will be taken following further assessment work, and we hope to announce these later this year.

Travelling People: Regional Government

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Government's announcement of the abolition of regional assemblies on the Government's plans to create additional Gypsy and Traveller sites; what plans she has for the consultation process on Gypsy and Traveller sites being undertaken by the East of England Regional Assembly due to end on 31 July; and if she will make a statement on the future of the Government's plans to create additional Gypsy and Traveller sites in Hertfordshire.

Iain Wright: The announcement on the outcome of the Sub-National Review made it clear that we will consult on the move to single regional strategies. In the meantime, we expect the current round of revisions to Regional Spatial Strategies, including those on provision for Gypsies and Travellers, to be completed at the earliest opportunity.
	As the hon. Member notes, the consultation in the East of England is being run by the East of England Regional Assembly, and its results will inform the review of the Regional Spatial Strategy. With regards to Hertfordshire, plans for future sites should reflect the needs identified by Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessments and by the proposed revision to the Regional Spatial Strategy, which is itself informed by the results of those assessments.

Tree Preservation Orders

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a tree preservation order may be placed on a tree or series of trees, subsequent to a planning application being granted; and whether such an order overrides the application.

Iain Wright: Section 197 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 places a duty on planning authorities to make adequate provision for the protection and planting of trees when granting planning permission. The planning authority should therefore take the presence of trees into account when determining planning applications.
	Tree preservation orders cannot be used to prevent development for which full planning permission has already been granted. They may be used, however, to protect trees which do not have to be removed in order to implement the approved development, or where only outline permission has been granted.

Valuation Office: Databases

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the Valuation Office Agency requested access to the Home Condition Report register in its submissions to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department for Communities and Local Government.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) by my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Dawn Primarolo) on 26 March 2006,  Official Report, column 724W.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Degrees

Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many  (a) full-time and  (b) part-time students who (i) applied and (ii) were accepted for (A) honours degrees, (B) foundation degrees and (C) HNDs were aged (1) 18, (2) 19, (3) 20, (4) 21 to 24, (5) 25 to 30 and (6) over 30 years of age in each year since 1997, broken down by socioeconomic group.

Bill Rammell: The available information is shown in the tables. The figures are taken from data collected by the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) which are limited to students who apply to full-time undergraduate courses via the UCAS application system. The figures do not therefore cover part-time students, nor those full-time students who apply directly to Higher Education Institutions.
	UCAS do not allocate applicants to specific course types because students can submit up to six applications to one or more of First Degree, Foundation Degree, HMD or other courses. For acceptances, the figures for Degrees include both First Degrees and Foundation Degrees.
	From 2002 entry, the information is only available by four broad age bands. A new classification of social background, the National Statistics Socio-economic Classification (NS-SEC), was introduced in 2002, which replaced the classification based on Social Class. The two classifications are not directly comparable.
	
		
			  UK domiciled applicants by age and social class, UK Higher Education Institutions 
			   Year of  e ntry :  1997  
			   Age  
			  Social  c lass  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and  o ver  Total 
			 I Professional 1,862 28,479 10,552 3,046 2,283 944 1,257 48,423 
			 II Intermediate 4,456 78,534 30,878 9,776 9,843 6,391 10,416 150,294 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,569 28,710 13,491 5,138 5,142 2,773 3,912 60,735 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 1,063 19,947 8,810 3,243 6,724 4,079 5,701 49,567 
			 IV Partly Skilled 662 12,637 6,157 2,493 4,512 2,540 3,199 32,200 
			 V Unskilled 151 3,133 1,859 789 959 451 562 7,904 
			 X Unknown 716 11,283 7,550 3,942 11,537 5,791 8,385 49,204 
			 Total 10,479 182,723 79,297 28,427 41,000 22,969 33,432 398,327 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of  e ntry :  1998 
			   Age  
			  Social  c lass  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and o ver  Total 
			 I Professional 1,745 28,001 10,362 2,880 2,171 768 1,097 47,024 
			 II Intermediate 4,411 79,181 31,223 9,299 9,039 5,239 8,917 147,309 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,630 29,225 13,321 4,693 4,411 2,317 3,297 58,894 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 1,077 20,458 8,734 2,904 5,846 3,365 4,673 47,057 
			 IV Partly Skilled 751 12,833 6,177 2,347 4,021 2,064 2,819 31,012 
			 V Unskilled 118 2,996 1,833 713 842 352 451 7,305 
			 X Unknown 813 13,053 8,573 4,378 10,957 5,351 7,862 50,987 
			 Total 10,545 185,747 80,223 27,214 37,287 19,456 29,116 389,588 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of  e ntry :  1999 
			   Age  
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 1,821 27,567 10,958 3,091 1,563 560 973 46,533 
			 II Intermediate 4,254 77,611 32,944 9,981 7,399 4,346 8,269 144,804 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,642 28,829 14,203 5,067 3,857 2,006 2,936 58,540 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 1,042 20,134 9,528 3,231 5,829 3,064 4,274 47,102 
			 IV Partly Skilled 700 12,567 6,535 2,499 3,763 1,959 2,782 30,805 
			 V Unskilled 127 2,974 1,972 849 752 305 472 7,451 
			 X Unknown 804 12,100 9,070 4,709 13,198 5,538 8,037 53,456 
			 Total 10,390 181,782 85,210 29,427 36,361 17,778 27,743 388,691 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of  entry:  2000 
			   Age  
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and  o ver  Total 
			 I Professional 1,688 27,197 10,895 3,095 1,513 480 893 45,761 
			 II Intermediate 4,161 76,341 33,229 10,574 7,800 4,245 8,339 144,689 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,568 27,974 13,943 5,097 3,794 1,837 2,998 57,211 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 1,095 20,309 9,683 3,564 6,247 2,912 4,278 48,088 
			 IV Partly Skilled 765 12,826 6,628 2,705 3,843 1,965 2,957 31,689 
			 V Unskilled 137 3,100 1,897 834 701 273 397 7,339 
			 X Unknown 940 12,638 9,174 4,974 13,264 5,343 7,981 54,314 
			 Total 10,354 180,385 85,449 30,843 37,162 17,055 27,843 389,091 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of entry: 2001 
			   Age  
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 1,666 27,263 10,800 3,177 1,516 467 954 45,843 
			 II Intermediate 4,182 77,689 32,187 10,388 7,963 3,951 8,472 144,832 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,755 30,348 14,185 5,074 4,161 1,876 3,166 60,565 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 1,008 20,021 9,175 3,453 7,045 2,935 4,416 48,053 
			 IV Partly Skilled 658 11,727 5,993 2,373 3,964 1,862 3,029 29,606 
			 V Unskilled 135 3,246 1,796 784 592 228 356 7,137 
			 X Unknown 1,032 16,070 11,075 5,918 15,367 5,631 8,516 63,609 
			 Total 10,436 186,364 85,211 31,167 40,608 16,950 28,909 399,645 
		
	
	
		
			  UK domiciled applicants by  a ge and Socio Economic Classification 
			   Year of  e ntry 2002 
			   Age  
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and  u nder  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 66,022 2,390 1,966 676 71,054 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 85,392 5,790 6,175 2,047 99,404 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 38,163 5,603 5,875 1,361 51,002 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 21,694 1,307 1,203 331 24,535 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 13,913 866 632 148 15,559 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 30,355 6,504 5,512 1,114 43,485 
			 7. Routine occupations 15,514 2,352 1,733 306 19,905 
			 8. Unknown 41,404 18,082 14,018 3,406 76,910 
			 Total 312,457 42,894 37,114 9,389 401,854 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of  e ntry: 2003 
			   Age  
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and  u nder  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and  o ver  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 64,143 2,367 2,413 777 69,700 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 85,627 5,928 6,749 2,161 100,465 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 37,114 5,378 5,866 1,445 49,803 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 21,774 1,271 1,197 374 24,616 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 14,923 830 616 171 16,540 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 30,857 6,801 5,909 1,267 44,834 
			 7. Routine occupations 14,914 2,443 1,602 284 19,243 
			 8. Unknown 47,438 18,998 14,760 3,571 84,767 
			 Total 316,790 44,016 39,112 10,050 409,968 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of  e ntry: 2004 
			   Age  
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  T otal 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 64,652 2,238 2,401 768 70,059 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 87,243 6,040 7,103 2,351 102,737 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 37,795 5,322 5,949 1,434 50,500 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 21,981 1,257 1,113 312 24,663 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 14,550 768 570 166 16,054 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 31,228 6,857 6,337 1,367 45,789 
			 7. Routine occupations 15,065 2,499 1,549 245 19,358 
			 8. Unknown 46,234 19,427 14,879 3,634 84,174 
			 Total 318,748 44,408 39,901 10,277 413,334 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of  e ntry :  2005 
			   Age  
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 63,796 2,433 2,630 772 69,631 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 88,307 6,661 8,098 2,632 105,698 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 38,636 5,743 6,499 1,545 52,423 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 22,403 1,339 1,280 372 25,394 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 14,870 792 538 148 16,348 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 33,888 7,867 7,159 1,649 50,563 
			 7. Routine occupations 15,616 2,737 1,723 316 20,392 
			 8. Unknown 62,953 20,536 16,518 4,174 104,181 
			 Total 340,469 48,108 44,445 11,608 444,630 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of Entry 2006 
			   Age  
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  T otal 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 62,602 2,128 1,955 565 67,250 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 84,387 5,704 5,856 1,721 97,668 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 36,453 4,533 4,530 1,002 46,518 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 22,232 1,200 864 228 24,524 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 13,939 717 377 80 15,113 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 32,143 6,833 5,455 1,230 45,661 
			 7. Routine occupations 15,336 2,593 1,361 200 19,490 
			 8. Unknown 62,817 24,002 22,524 6,629 115,972 
			 Total 329,909 47,710 42,922 11,655 432,196 
			  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS). 
		
	
	
		
			  UK domiciled acceptances by qualification aim, age and social class, UK Higher Education Institutions 
			   Year of entry: 1997 
			   Degree 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 1,494 23,088 8,325 2,119 1,428 528 776 37,758 
			 II Intermediate 3,302 60,740 22,491 6,411 5,934 3,734 6,408 109,020 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,065 19,986 8,618 3,045 2,921 1,619 2,442 39,696 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 764 14,911 6,136 2,028 4,028 2,508 3,713 34,088 
			 IV Partly Skilled 466 8,920 3,985 1,491 2,616 1,439 1,934 20,851 
			 V Unskilled 110 2,121 1,122 414 522 270 336 4,895 
			 X Unknown 482 7,394 4,477 2,212 6,768 3,467 5,395 30,195 
			 Total 7,683 137,160 55,154 17,720 24,217 13,565 21,004 276,503 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 34 874 513 221 150 46 48 1,886 
			 II Intermediate 145 3,552 2,278 881 718 323 443 8,340 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 65 1,984 1,392 619 518 242 288 5,108 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 31 1,054 767 318 562 226 287 3,245 
			 IV Partly Skilled 21 896 643 318 428 174 176 2,656 
			 V Unskilled 3 227 201 101 120 38 35 725 
			 X Unknown 26 1,009 1,039 590 1,100 464 627 4,855 
			 Total 325 9,596 6,833 3,048 3,596 1,513 1,904 26,815 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of entry: 1998 
			   Degree 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 1399 22621 8250 2077 1411 433 657 36848 
			 II Intermediate 3,238 61,077 23,067 6,208 5,607 3,069 5,429 107,695 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,083 20,756 8,749 2,859 2,648 1,355 2,053 39,503 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 748 15,166 6,064 1,874 3,592 2,076 2,956 32,476 
			 IV Partly Skilled 510 9,041 4,066 1,430 2,384 1,225 1,687 20,343 
			 V Unskilled 74 2,033 1,131 410 468 209 279 4,604 
			 X Unknown 451 8,316 5,051 2,511 6,486 3,181 4,875 30,871 
			 Total 7,503 139,010 56,378 17,369 22,596 11,548 17,936 272,340 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 34 874 513 221 150 46 48 1,886 
			 II Intermediate 145 3,552 2,278 881 718 323 443 8,340 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 65 1,984 1,392 619 518 242 288 5,108 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 31 1,054 767 318 562 226 287 3,245 
			 IV Partly Skilled 21 896 643 318 428 174 176 2,656 
			 V Unskilled 3 227 201 101 120 38 35 725 
			 X Unknown 26 1,009 1,039 590 1,100 464 627 4,855 
			 Total 325 9,596 6,833 3,048 3,596 1,513 1,904 26,815 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of  e ntry :  1999 
			   Degree 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and  o ver  Total 
			 I Professional 1,467 22,599 8,856 2,319 1,066 317 628 37,252 
			 II Intermediate 3,172 60,422 24,944 6,856 4,786 2,606 5,244 108,030 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,157 20,572 9,618 3,189 2,337 1,210 1,837 39,920 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 734 15,267 6,787 2,148 3,656 1,899 2,722 33,213 
			 IV Partly Skilled 458 9,013 4,420 1,561 2,270 1,173 1,688 20,583 
			 V Unskilled 78 2,028 1,239 523 436 176 291 4,771 
			 X Unknown 477 7,851 5,685 2,860 8,072 3,402 5,224 33,571 
			 Total 7,543 137,752 61,549 19,456 22,623 10,783 17,634 277,340 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 32 707 524 175 108 24 42 1,612 
			 II Intermediate 157 3,181 2,191 929 534 242 403 7,637 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 80 1,792 1,376 538 377 177 214 4,554 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 36 968 799 319 468 216 267 3,073 
			 IV Partly Skilled 45 839 673 287 355 145 170 2,514 
			 V Unskilled 7 231 238 117 101 40 33 767 
			 X Unknown 67 1,200 1,168 650 1,238 523 722 5,568 
			 Total 424 8,918 6,969 3,015 3,181 1,367 1,851 25,725 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of entry: 2000 
			   Degree 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 1,396 22,695 9,015 2,361 1,046 263 529 37,305 
			 II Intermediate 3,237 60,561 25,762 7,480 5,095 2,502 5,185 109,822 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,098 20,361 9,654 3,307 2,339 1,131 1,892 39,782 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 836 15,525 7,162 2,382 3,939 1,856 2,813 34,513 
			 IV Partly Skilled 523 9,381 4,609 1,706 2,381 1,155 1,834 21,589 
			 V Unskilled 98 2,156 1,199 526 428 167 231 4,805 
			 X Unknown 537 8,436 5,884 3,001 8,142 3,201 4,792 33,993 
			 Total 7,725 139,115 63,285 20,763 23,370 10,275 17,276 281,809 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 28 643 485 201 97 28 54 1,536 
			 II Intermediate 149 3,132 2,227 968 597 265 515 7,853 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 88 1,736 1,414 555 404 171 265 4,633 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 48 1,051 729 342 601 210 284 3,265 
			 IV Partly Skilled 54 820 677 311 376 146 179 2,563 
			 V Unskilled 9 226 240 99 88 27 41 730 
			 X Unknown 175 1,263 1,203 788 1,352 592 956 6,329 
			 Total 551 8,871 6,975 3,264 3,515 1,439 2,294 26,909 
		
	
	continued
	
		
			  Year of  e ntry :  2001 
			   Degree 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and Over  Total 
			 I Professional 1,415 23,183 9,171 2,481 1,063 291 592 38,196 
			 II Intermediate 3,256 63,344 25,625 7,594 5,406 2,477 5,585 113,287 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 1,229 23,000 10,101 3,407 2,676 1,183 1,972 43,568 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 734 15,828 6,982 2,413 4,701 1,880 2,988 35,526 
			 IV Partly Skilled 444 8,811 4,325 1,626 2,530 1,134 1,926 20,796 
			 V Unskilled 89 2,339 1,238 482 366 150 222 4,886 
			 X Unknown 640 11,066 7,289 3,831 9,982 3,454 5,536 41,798 
			 Total 7,807 147,571 64,731 21,834 26,724 10,569 18,821 298,057 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Social class  Under 18  18  19  20  21 to 24  25 to 29  30 and over  Total 
			 I Professional 26 691 442 211 97 24 61 1,552 
			 II Intermediate 116 3,030 2,117 903 609 249 520 7,544 
			 IIIM Skilled Manual 94 1,874 1,372 562 422 197 323 4,844 
			 IIIN Skilled Non-Manual 42 993 732 334 630 232 285 3,248 
			 IV Partly Skilled 43 745 557 255 360 152 206 2,318 
			 V Unskilled 11 242 218 98 87 23 39 718 
			 X Unknown 95 1,644 1,505 870 1,614 604 859 7,191 
			 Total 427 9,219 6,943 3,233 3,819 1,481 2,293 27,415 
		
	
	
		
			  UK domiciled acceptances by qualification aim, age and socio economic classification, UK Higher Education Institutions 
			   Year of  e ntry :  2002 
			   Degree 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 55,987 1,715 1,272 453 59,427 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 70,128 4,064 4,087 1,383 79,662 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 31,125 3,895 3,889 924 39,833 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 16,675 846 782 222 18,525 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 10,707 586 438 102 11,833 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 23,245 4,323 3,591 737 31,896 
			 7. Routine occupations 11,426 1,565 1,129 192 14,312 
			 8. Unknown 29,764 12,439 9,384 2,385 53,972 
			 Total 249,057 29,433 24,572 6,398 309,460 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 1,752 114 79 47 1,992 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 3,054 360 272 128 3,814 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 1,549 374 284 72 2,279 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 1,305 122 70 34 1,531 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 830 91 67 9 997 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 1,890 475 314 72 2,751 
			 7. Routine occupations 1,123 232 158 30 1,543 
			 8. Unknown 4,154 1,666 1,210 328 7,358 
			 Total 15,657 3,434 2,454 720 22,265 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of entry: 2003 
			   Degree 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 54,398 1,660 1,448 528 58,034 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 70,356 4,109 4,299 1,417 80,181 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 30,311 3,688 3,920 1,012 38,931 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 16,956 873 775 241 18,845 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 11,574 600 406 113 12,693 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 23,815 4,593 3,815 842 33,065 
			 7. Routine occupations 11,161 1,602 1,059 193 14,015 
			 8. Unknown 35,061 12,903 9,967 2,547 60,478 
			 Total 253,632 30,028 25,689 6,893 316,242 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 1,261 91 59 27 1,438 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 2,340 266 229 97 2,932 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 1,088 282 227 48 1,645 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 973 85 64 25 1,147 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 670 45 34 15 764 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 1,545 395 197 52 2,189 
			 7. Routine occupations 881 168 106 13 1,168 
			 8. Unknown 3,763 1,389 1,007 258 6,417 
			 Total 12,521 2,721 1,923 535 17,700 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of entry: 2004 
			   Degree 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 55,231 1,535 1,351 476 58,593 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 72,360 4,063 4,411 1,476 82,310 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 31,111 3,554 3,873 963 39,501 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 17,186 867 707 192 18,952 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 11,515 529 380 117 12,541 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 24,593 4,549 3,926 863 33,931 
			 7. Routine occupations 11,494 1,660 1,013 167 14,334 
			 8. Unknown 34,768 13,142 9,969 2,496 60,375 
			 Total 258,258 29,899 25,630 6,750 320,537 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 951 64 43 28 1,086 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 1,846 204 183 85 2,318 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 879 207 155 48 1,289 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 803 53 57 16 929 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 487 41 36 9 573 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 1,082 270 186 47 1,585 
			 7. Routine occupations 646 134 75 10 865 
			 8. Unknown 2,906 1,112 837 258 5,113 
			 Total 9,600 2,085 1,572 501 13,758 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of entry: 2005 
			   Degree 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and  u nder  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and  o ver  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 55,143 1,633 1,448 469 58,693 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 74,286 4,449 4,783 1,612 85,130 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 32,267 3,843 4,067 1,012 41,189 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 18,006 906 813 238 19,963 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 12,005 564 354 86 13,009 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 27,109 5,125 4,248 1,024 37,506 
			 7. Routine occupations 12,118 1,851 1,117 194 15,280 
			 8. Unknown 50,189 14,089 10,900 2,900 78,078 
			 Total 281,123 32,460 27,730 7,535 348,848 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and  u nder  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and  o ver  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 872 55 36 14 977 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 1,607 183 131 56 1,977 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 731 136 127 39 1,033 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 614 46 27 18 705 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 380 29 23 13 445 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 988 232 118 22 1,360 
			 7. Routine occupations 564 131 66 21 782 
			 8. Unknown 2,348 882 704 183 4,117 
			 Total 8,104 1,694 1,232 366 11,396 
		
	
	
		
			  Year of entry: 2006 
			   Degree 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and  u nder  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and  o ver  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 53,615 1,419 1,029 338 56,401 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 70,163 3,809 3,386 1,025 78,383 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 30,133 2,988 2,755 667 36,543 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 17,736 801 558 155 19,250 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 11,108 515 264 53 11,940 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 25,557 4,453 3,224 780 34,014 
			 7. Routine occupations 11,900 1,796 887 128 14,711 
			 8. Unknown 49,682 16,447 15,031 4,536 85,696 
			 Total 269,894 32,228 27,134 7,682 336,938 
		
	
	
		
			   HND 
			  Socio-Economic Classification  20 and under  21 to 24  25 to 39  40 and over  Total 
			 1. Higher managerial and professional occupations 537 45 19 8 609 
			 2. Lower managerial and professional occupations 1,159 130 82 23 1,394 
			 3. Intermediate occupations 476 94 65 12 647 
			 4. Small employers and own account workers 454 40 23 4 521 
			 5. Lower supervisory and technical occupations 275 20 18 5 318 
			 6. Semi-routine occupations 695 157 69 14 935 
			 7. Routine occupations 429 85 36 6 556 
			 8. Unknown 1,990 806 666 184 3,646 
			 Total 6,015 1,377 978 256 8,626 
			  Source: Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

NORTHERN IRELAND

Historical Inquiries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the historical inquiries which  (a) are being undertaken and  (b) are about to be commenced in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Historic Enquiry Team (HET) is tasked with re-examining all 3,268 murders related to the security situation during the period from 1968 until the signing of the Belfast Agreement. The HET generally examines cases in chronological order and is currently working on cases from 1972.
	The Bloody Sunday Inquiry was set up following a resolution of the House on 29 January 1998 to inquire into the events on 30 January 1972 which led to loss of life in connection with a procession in Londonderry.
	The Robert Hamill Inquiry, the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry and the Billy Wright Inquiry were established to inquire into the deaths of these individuals. The inquiries' terms of reference were announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen (Mr. Murphy) in a written statement on 16 November 2004,  Official Report, columns 83-84WS. My right hon. Friend the Member for Torfaen announced on 23 September 2004 that steps would be taken to enable the establishment of an inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane, which would be held on the basis of new legislation.

Historical Inquiries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by  (a) the police and  (b) other agencies on historical inquiries in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Historic Enquires Team project has been allocated 34 million over six years, this is a significant sum. Estimated expenditure to 31 March 2007 is 9.9 million. This project involves the PSNI, Police Ombudsman, Forensic Science Agency and PPS. Government are committed to ensuring that this work is adequately resourced.
	The expenditure by the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, the Robert Hamill Inquiry, the Rosemary Nelson Inquiry and the Billy Wright Inquiry is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Rounded expenditure to end April  2007 ( million) 
			 Bloody Sunday Inquiry (1)178.264 
			 Robert Hamill Inquiry 10.41 
			 Billy Wright Inquiry 7.21 
			 Rosemary Nelson Inquiry 15.17 
			 (1) Of this total cost (rounded) 143.1 million falls to the NIO, the remaining 35.2 million falls to the MOD 
		
	
	The estimated cost to PSNI of providing information to historic inquires other than investigations being carried out by HET is 7.17 million. This includes 1.9 million to investigate 'cold' non-terrorist murder cases, as well as 1-1.5 million for legal cost in respect of all historic inquires work.

Missing Persons

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to locate the remains of those considered disappeared; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Police Service of Northern Ireland seconded one officer to a small project team set up by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims Remains (ICLVR) for a period of six months. The Garda Siochana also seconded a member of their force to the ICLVR on a part-time basis.
	The PSNI continue to offer every assistance to the ICLVR it can provide. However, of the nine remaining sets of remains to be found, all are suspected to be in the Republic of Ireland with the exception of one which the ICLVR believe to be in France. This limits the steps which can be taken by the PSNI to assist in locating remains.

Missing Persons: Religion

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland are classed as disappeared; what percentage are  (a) Catholic and  (b) Protestant; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: 'The disappeared' is the term used in respect of those individuals widely believed to have been murdered by paramilitaries during 'the troubles' in Northern Ireland, and whose bodies were secretly buried. Only those who disappeared prior to the signing of the Good Friday agreement (10 April 1998) fall within the remit of the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims' Remains.
	14 people fell into this category. To date, five bodies have been recovered, but the burial sites of the remaining nine are unknown. PIRA admitted responsibility for 10 of the 14, while one was admitted by the INLA. No attribution has been given to the remaining three, but it is largely the view of the families that they were victims of PIRA.
	100 per cent. of those referred to as 'the disappeared' were from the Catholic community.

Police: Inquiries

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's budget has been spent on historical inquiries in the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The Historic Enquires Team (HET) project is a NIO funded project which the PSNI Historic Enquires Team are undertaking. The total funding for this project is 34 million over six years. This funding is divided between all the participants; PSNI Historic Enquiries Team, Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland, Forensic Science Northern Ireland, and Public Prosecution Service. The overall budget for PSNI HET work is 24.2 million over six years.
	The actual spend for PSNI HET work for 2005-06 was 3.95 million and for 2006-07 4.18 million.

Rape

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many rapes have been committed by individuals under the age of 17 years in Northern Ireland in the last 10 years.

Paul Goggins: It is not possible to determine the number of rapes committed by individuals under the age of 17 in each of the last 10 years. However, information is available as to:
	(a) the number of offences recorded by PSNI and cleared by issuing at least one person a charge or summons; and
	(b) the number of prosecutions and convictions in the criminal courts in Northern Ireland.
	Age-related data on rapes recorded and cleared by issuing a charge or summons are only available from 1 April 2001 until 31 March 2007. During this period, 34 rape offences were recorded and also cleared by a charge or summons in which the accused person was under the age of 17(1).
	Between 1996 and 2005, the latest years for which data are available for prosecutions and convictions, there were seven prosecutions(2) and no convictions for rape where the defendants were under the age of 17(3).
	(1)PSNI follow Home Office counting rules which means that only one accused person is required to clear a crime, even in cases where there are multiple offenders. In this respect the figure noted may not include all persons under 17, if they were not the first person noted as clearing the crime.
	(2)Data for prosecutions and convictions are collated on the principal offence rule; thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
	(3)It is not possible routinely to compare data relating to the number charged or summoned for rape offences from recorded crime figures and data relating to the number of prosecutions and convictions, as these figures are collected on a different basis. PSNI recorded crime figures relate to the number of notifiable crimes reported and/or subsequently cleared; whereas figures for prosecutions and convictions refer to the number of offenders who have been subsequently brought before the criminal courts in Northern Ireland. In addition, PSNI recorded crime figures denote each offence as it has been initially recorded and this may differ from the offence for which a suspect or suspects are subsequently proceeded against in the courts.

Sexual Offences

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2007,  Official Report, column 1175W, on sexual offences, how many and what percentage of allegations of rape made to the police in each of the last three years were later withdrawn by the individual; how many and what percentage of cases referred to the Public Prosecution Service subsequently failed to result in a prosecution for lack of evidence; and how many and what percentage of cases brought to prosecution resulted in conviction.

Paul Goggins: Figures relating to the percentage of rape allegations which are withdrawn by the individual are not recorded in the format requested.
	The Public Prosecution Service have advised that the number of persons reported for an offence of rape who were not prosecuted because the available evidence was not sufficient to pass the test for prosecution is as follows:
	2004: 29 (35 per cent.) out of 83 persons;
	2005: 90 (66 per cent.) out of 136 persons;
	2006: 136 (79 per cent.) out of 172 persons.
	The number of persons directed for prosecution for rape or some other related offence and whose trial concluded with a conviction for at least one offence (whether of rape or of some other related offence) is as follows:
	2004: 27 (61 per cent.) out of 44 persons;
	2005: 17 (63 per cent.) out of 27 persons;
	2006: five (50 per cent.) out of 10 persons.
	These figures represent only those cases which have been concluded at court. A number of cases are still awaiting trial, or are currently passing through the courts. These cases are not included in the totals above. For example, in 2006, 36 cases were directed for prosecution, of which five have so far resulted in conviction, five have not, and the remaining 26 either await trial or are in the process of being tried.
	The Government are committed to improving the rates of successful prosecution in rape cases. PSNI's CARE units deal with the investigation of serious adult sexual offences and sexual and physical abuse of children and are staffed by highly skilled and trained personnel. The PSNI CARE teams are dedicated to enhancing the service to victims of rape and sexual assault and are seeking to enhance the investigative process so that more offenders are brought before the courts.
	We have made significant progress towards establishing a sexual assault referral centre in Northern Ireland and are working in partnership with colleagues in DHSSPS, PSNI, the medical profession and the voluntary sector to develop an appropriate range of services. In addition, PSNI and the Public Prosecution Service have recently begun to analyse a number of rape investigations, in order that they continue to develop models of best investigative practice. In particular, attention will focus upon case building and the significant number of cases that currently do not make the threshold for prosecution.

JUSTICE

Asylum and Immigration Tribunal

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal notified  (a) the Home Office and  (b) HM High Commission, Harare of its decision in the case of Ms L.K., wife of Mr. P.H. of Aylesbury (reference AIT OA/44119/2006).

Bridget Prentice: Information shows that the Immigration Judge determination for appeal reference OA/44119/2006 was served upon the Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) on 3 July 2007.
	In Entry Clearance and Family Visitor appeals the determination is served upon the BIA (formerly the Immigration and Nationality Directorate) who will arrange for the forwarding of the determination to the entry clearance post that made the original refusal.

Aylesbury Prison: Prisoners Release

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been released from HMP Aylesbury under the end of custody licence scheme since 27 June 2007; how many of those released have since been returned to  (a) HMP Aylesbury and  (b) other prisons; and to which other prisons such prisoners have been returned.

David Hanson: One prisoner from HMP Aylesbury was released under end of custody licence between 29 June and 5 July. 12 prisoners overall were returned to prison during this period out of a total released of 1,701. Information on the numbers of prisoners returned to each prison by individual establishment is not available.
	These figures are based on statistics published on 16 July and updates will be published monthly.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Bailiffs

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that local authorities, magistrates courts and bailiffs  (a) are aware of and  (b) comply with the 2002 National Standards for Enforcement Agents, with particular reference to page 9, covering vulnerable situations.

Maria Eagle: The leaflet Effective EnforcementNational Standards for Enforcement Agents was produced with the assistance of and endorsed by industry and Government, including local authorities. The guidance is not legally binding; rather it sets out what the Department, those in the industry and some major users including creditor groups regard as a benchmark for professional standards within enforcement.
	Much of the content within the national standards leaflet will now be reflected in the underpinning regulations arising from provisions in the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill, which finished its parliamentary passage on 17 July. This will include training requirements for bailiffs for an enhanced and extended certification regime. Agents will be required to have a working knowledge of all the relevant areas of enforcement law and of the national standards in particular how to deal with vulnerable and potentially vulnerable debtors and others present at the premises. This will provide considerable protection for genuinely impoverished and vulnerable debtors.
	As part of the development of the underpinning rules and regulations and implementation of the provisions in the Bill HMCS will now be re-engaging with all interested parties. We will use this opportunity to remind the industry including local authorities, magistrates courts and bailiffs themselves of the contents and purpose of the national standards. The outcome of this consultation process will inform the implementation timetable.

Care Proceedings

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what the average number of court hearings per child care case was in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many child care cases have come to court  (a) within a month,  (b) between one and three months,  (c) between three and six months,  (d) between six and 12 months,  (e) in over a year and  (f) in over 18 months in the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many care cases involving a child came to court in each of the last five years.

Bridget Prentice: Information on the number of court hearings per child care case is not held centrally.
	Table 1 shows the length of time from receipt of application to final order for care cases in England and Wales grouped as requested. The data are presented separately by family proceedings courts and county courts as more complex cases are transferred to the county courts. These data are only available from 2005 for the family proceedings courts and 2003 for the county courts.
	Table 2 shows the number of care applications to the courts in England and Wales in each of the last four years. Application data for all jurisdictions prior to 2003 are not available.
	
		
			  Table 1: Completed care cases by time between date of application and final order and by court jurisdiction, 2003 to 2006, England and Wales 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			   Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage  Number  Percentage 
			  Family proceedings courts 
			 Within a month 35 1 16 0 
			 Between one and three months 52 2 48 1 
			 Between three and six months 554 16 429 12 
			 Between six and 12 months 1,953 57 2,074 58 
			 Between one year and 18 months 567 16 767 22 
			 Over 18 months 279 8 215 6 
			 Total 3,440 100 3,549 100 
			  
			  County courts 
			 Within a month 16 1 8 0 6 0 6 0 
			 Between one and three months 41 1 43 1 35 1 42 1 
			 Between three and six months 292 10 272 8 281 9 222 8 
			 Between six and 12 months 1,454 48 1,536 48 1,651 53 1,594 54 
			 Between one year and 18 months 764 25 762 24 702 23 687 23 
			 Over 18 months 463 15 585 18 431 14 403 14 
			 Total 3,030 100 3,206 100 3,106 100 2,954 100 
			  Notes:  1. Cases transferred from the family proceedings court to the county court are counted solely in the latter, but are measured from date of initial application to the family proceedings court.  2. Family proceedings court data are measured by child, county court data by case. One case may involve more than one child. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Care applications, 2003 to 2006, England and Wales 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006( 1) 
			 Care applications 11,046 12,099 14,389 13,446 
			 (1) Figures for 2006 are provisional and subject to change.   Note:  Figures relate to the number of children who were the subject of each care application. An application relating to two children will be counted twice.

Care Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average cost per case of providing legal aid to those involved in childcare cases was in each of the last 10 years.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. The Legal Services Commission record bills on its systems and two or more bills can relate to the same case where more than one person is assisted in that case. The average gross cost of a bill in public law child care cases between 1999-2000 and 2006-07 is set out in the following table. Prior to 1999-2000 the information is not available as bills were analysed by court venue rather than the type of assistance provided.
	
		
			   Average gross cost () 
			 1999-2000 3,999 
			 2000-01 4,066 
			 2001-02 4,687 
			 2002-03 5,439 
			 2003-04 5,895 
			 2004-05 5,827 
			 2005-06 6,425 
			 2006-07 7,691

Care Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people  (a) applied for and  (b) received legal aid for the costs of representation in care cases involving children in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: The number of people who applied for and received representation in public law child care cases in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			   Applications  Certificates issued( 1) 
			 2002-03 27,556 27,084 
			 2003-04 25,692 25,390 
			 2004-05 27,048 26,822 
			 2005-06 28,109 27,898 
			 2006-07 28,744 28,497 
			 (1)Applications granted.

Constituencies

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the Boundary Commission's mechanisms for co-ordinating its work on parliamentary constituencies and local government boundaries.

Bridget Prentice: Reviews of parliamentary constituency and local government boundaries in England are currently conducted by separate bodies: respectively the Boundary Commission for England, and the Boundary Committee for England (part of the Electoral Commission).
	The Eleventh Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life has recommended that the Boundary Committee for England be removed from the Electoral Commission and re-established as a separate organisation. It has also recommended that a single secretariat be established to support jointly both organisations, in large part to improve the co-ordination of their work.
	The Government will be responding to the CSPL recommendations shortly.

Coroners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how the proposed non-statutory Chief Coroner would enforce decisions; whether such decisions would be subject to judicial review; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: I am currently considering what the role and responsibilities of a non-statutory Chief Coroner might be, and whether such a post would provide a helpful addition to current arrangements at this time.

Coroners

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice who is responsible for providing coroners' court facilities; and who will be responsible under his Department's proposals for reform.

Bridget Prentice: Coroners have a statutory duty to undertake inquests and order post-mortem examinations, and the relevant local authority is responsible for meeting the costs. A number of coroners have dedicated courts provided by their local authority. Where this is not the case coroners liaise with their local authorities and local HMCS court managers to secure the use of suitable court accommodation. In a reformed system these basic arrangements will not change. Where difficulties with court provision are identified we will continue to work with coroners and other stakeholders to help find local solutions.

Coroners: Armed Forces

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many coroner's inquests arising from  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan have been completed; and how many were completed by coroners other than the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire coroner.

Bridget Prentice: 109 inquests arising from Iraq since 2003 have been completed. Four of these have been held by coroners other than the Oxfordshire or Wiltshire and Swindon coroners.
	Eight inquests arising from Afghanistan since 2001 have been completed. Four of these have been completed by coroners other than the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and Swindon coroners.

Departments: Crime

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what criminal offences have been introduced by his Department in primary legislation since October 2006.

Maria Eagle: For my Department during the period in question, the only primary legislation that introduced criminal offences was the Fraud Act 2006. That Act, owned by the Home Office until the creation of the Ministry of Justice, created a mixture of new offences and those that replaced earlier existing criminal offences. However counting all offences created by the Fraud Act including those replacing existing offences the Act created five new offences:
	These are as follows:
	Section 1 Fraud. This replaced various deception offences in the Theft Acts 1968 and 1978, the Theft Act (Northern Ireland) 1969 and the Theft (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.
	Section 6 Possession etc. of articles for use in frauds: This is a new offence but it replaced the cheat elements of section 25 of the Theft Act 1968 and section 24 of the Theft Act (Northern Ireland) 1969. The new offence in section 6 is broader than the cheat element of section 24 and section 25 had been.
	Section 7 Making or supplying articles for use in frauds.
	Section 9 Participating in a fraudulent business carried on by a sole trader etc.
	Section 11 Obtaining services dishonestly: This replaced section 1 of the Theft Act 1978 and Article 3 of the Theft (Northern Ireland) Order 1978.

Departments: Departmental Responsibilities

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to make a statement on discussions with the working group of the judiciary on creation of his Department.

Jack Straw: I have met with the Lord Chief Justice on a number of occasions since my appointment to discuss a variety of issues, including those raised in the judicial working group.
	I will keep Parliament informed of any significant developments.

Departments: Early Retirement

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of his staff took early retirement in the last five years; at what cost; what grades of staff took early retirement; and what percentage of each grade took early retirement.

Maria Eagle: The following table sets out the proportion of staff who took early retirement between 1 April 2002 and 31 March 2007, broken down by grade.
	A breakdown of cost would be provided by the civil service pension payroll provider (Capita Hartshead) but could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Financial year  Leaving reason  Government grade  Number of staff taking retirement 
			 1 April 2002-31 March 2003 Approved early retirement EO 1 
			   SEO 1 
			  Approved early retirement total  2 
			  Flexible early retirement limited postability SEO 1 
			  Flexible early retirement limited postability total  1 
			 Total   3 
			 
			 1 April 2003-31 March 2004 Approved early retirement AO 2 
			   SCS 1 
			   SEO 1 
			  Approved early retirement total  4 
			  Flexible early retirement limited efficiency G7 2 
			  Flexible early retirement limited efficiency total  2 
			  Flexible early retirement limited postability G6 1 
			   SCS 4 
			  Flexible early retirement limited postability total  5 
			  Flexible early retirement structural grounds SCS 1 
			  Flexible early retirement structural grounds total  1 
			 Total   12 
			 
			 1 April 2004-31 March 2005 Approved early retirement EO 1 
			   SEO 1 
			  Approved early retirement total  2 
			  Compulsory early retirement structural grounds SCS 3 
			  Compulsory early retirement structural grounds total  3 
			  Flexible early retirement limited postability SCS 1 
			  Flexible early retirement limited postability total  1 
			  Flexible early retirement structural grounds G7 1 
			  Flexible early retirement structural grounds total  1 
			 Total   7 
			 
			 1 April 2005-31 March 2006 Flexible early retirement structural grounds G6 1 
			  Flexible early retirement structural grounds total  1 
			 Total   1 
			 
			 1 April 2006-31 March 2007 Approved early retirement AO 1 
			   Unknown grade 5 
			  Approved early retirement total  6 
			  Early retirement compulsory redundancy G6 3 
			   Unknown grade 1 
			   SCS 4 
			   SEO 1 
			  Early retirement compulsory redundancy total  9 
			  Early retirement compulsory structural grounds AO 1 
			   HEO 1 
			   Unknown grade 7 
			   SEO 3 
			  Early retirement compulsory structural grounds total  12 
			  Flexible early retirement structural grounds AO 3 
			   EO 2 
			   G7 1 
			   HEO 8 
			   Unknown grade 7 
			   SEO 2 
			  Flexible early retirement structural grounds total  23 
			 Total   50 
			 
			 Grand total   73 
		
	
	
		
			  Financial year early retirement period  Headcount early retirement total  Staff in post total  Taken from published stats, headcount, on-strength perm. and temp. snap shot date  Proportion (percentage) 
			 1 April 2006-31 March 2007 50 27,720 31 March 2007 Q ONS PSES 0.180 
			 1 April 2005-31 March 2006 1 26,596 31 March 2006 Q ONS PSES 0.003 
			 1 April 2004-31 March 2005 7 14,113 31 March 2005 Q ONS PSES 0.049 
			 1 April 2003-31 March 2004 12 13,250 1 April 2004 Mandate 0.090 
			 1 April 2002-31 March 2003 3 13,000 1 April 2003 Mandate 0.023

Dispute Resolution Procedures

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment his Department has made of the Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry's dispute resolution procedures; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: My Department has made no assessment. However, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for Employment Relations and Postal Affairs on 17 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 284-85W.

Electronic Tagging

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases of tagged offenders  (a) disarming their tags and  (b) breaking curfews while tagged have been reported to police in each of the last three years; and how many resulted in prosecution.

David Hanson: The electronic monitoring contractors are only required to report to the police breaches of curfew for those subject to court bail conditions under the Bail Act 1976. According to data provided by the contactors the number of breaches reported to the police in such cases, in the previous two financial years, is as follows:
	
		
			  Financial year  Deliberate tag tampers (including removals)  Other breaches 
			 2005-06 1,073 11,435 
			 2006-07 1,942 43,843 
		
	
	The large increase in the number of reported breaches in 2006-07 reflects the increase in the number of people made subject to bail conditions with a curfew requirement compared to the previous year.
	The figures include multiple breaches/tag tampers committed by tagged persons on bail and reported to the police. Data for the year 2004-05 are not available as they relate to the previous contract, and could be provided only through a manual trawl of records at disproportionate cost.
	The system is designed to ensure that any attempt to remove a tag within the curfew address automatically registers as a tamper at the electronic monitoring service provider's control centre.
	Data on the number of cases resulting in prosecution are not available centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost, through collating information from each police force.

Electronic Tagging: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offences were committed by tagged offenders in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in each year since 2003.

David Hanson: Data on reoffending by offenders wearing electronic tags are collated centrally only in respect of offenders released on to the Home Detention Curfew Scheme. The data are not broken down by areas in which subsequent offences are committed. To provide such information would involve a manual trawl of all reoffending data since 2003; such an exercise would incur disproportionate cost.

General Commissioners of Income Tax

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the number of Clerks to the General Commissioner who will be involved in the final year scheme.

Bridget Prentice: The final year scheme will involve all of the Clerks who are in office when the year begins. There are currently 234 Clerks.

General Commissioners of Income Tax

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost to the public purse of the Clerks to the General Commissioner of Taxes was in 2006-07.

Bridget Prentice: The total cost of the Clerks to the General Commissioners in 2006-07 was 2,393,000.

General Commissioners of Income Tax

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost of the remuneration will be under the proposed final year scheme for Clerks to General Commissioners.

Bridget Prentice: It is not possible to say at this stage what the costs of remuneration will be in the final year. This is because the final package of remuneration will be based on the work the Clerks do in the preceding year. Some of the details of the scheme are also still to be finalised. Officials are currently drawing up draft proposals for discussion with the Association of Clerks. These will be ready by the end of the summer.

Legal Aid Scheme: Children

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the legal aid budget dedicated to public law Children Act matters was spent on expert witnesses in each year from 2001-02 to 2005-06.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Legal Services Commission does not keep records to that level of detail and records only solicitor disbursements generally.

Legal Aid Scheme: Expert Evidence

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of the legal aid budget was spent on expert witnesses in each year from 2001-02 to 2005-06.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The Legal Services Commission does not keep records to that level of detail and records only solicitor disbursements generally.

Mediation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice on how many occasions the Legal Services Commission used sanctions against solicitors for not providing advice to clients on mediation in family disputes in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: None. Under the Law Society's Family Law Protocol, family solicitors are required to advise clients on the benefits of mediation where it is appropriate for the client. Legally aided clients are required to consider mediation before proceedings are issued.
	There are no specific contract sanctions available at present. The discussions that the solicitor has with the client on the potential use of mediation are evidenced by the completion of a 'Suitability of Mediation' form. If this form is not completed and submitted when the solicitor applies for funding to issue proceedings, the application will be rejected and not processed until the solicitor has completed the form and resubmitted the application for funding.
	The LSC will be monitoring the number of referrals made by individual firms to mediation. An improved monitoring system, to be implemented in October 2007, will extract information from LSC databases on the reasons used by individual firms for exemption from mediation. Where it is shown that solicitors' firms do not make appropriate and timely referrals, the LSC Relationship Manager will have discussions with the firm about this. Funding to continue with proceedings will be refused until the solicitor has demonstrated that mediation has been assessed as not appropriate, or has been attempted and broken down.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he intends to answer the letter to his predecessor of 29 May from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Paul Southworth.

Bridget Prentice: The Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor will write to the right hon. Member soon and apologises for the unacceptable delay which was due to an administrative error.

Members: Correspondence

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he will reply to the letter of 12th June 2007 (Ministry of Justice Reference: 162453/13868) from the hon. Member for West Worcestershire.

Bridget Prentice: My right hon. Friend the Member for Delyn (Mr. Hanson) will write to the hon. Member soon and apologises for the unacceptable delay, which was due to an administrative error.

Oakhill Secure Training Centre

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 12 July 2007,  Official Report, column 69WS, on Oakhill Secure Training Centre, what recent assessment he has made of staff levels at secure training centres.

David Hanson: The contracts with the operating companies specify minimum staffing levels. These assume that the centre is operating at full capacity.
	Hassockfield, Medway and Rainsbrook met minimum staffing levels throughout the period 1 June to 8 July. During this period, there were three days on which staffing levels at Oakhill fell below the minimum staffing level. However, on each of these days there was a sufficient number of staff to care for and work with the number of young people who were placed at the centre at that time.
	The issue of staffing shortfalls is being addressed by the Oakhill contractor, Group 4 Securicor. The contractor has drawn up a recovery plan which the Youth Justice Board is monitoring. The Board is working with the contractor on the implementation of the action plan.

Prison Service: Corruption

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his most recent assessment is of levels of corruption within the Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: I refer to my noble friend the Lord Falconer of Thoroton's statement in the other place on 10 May 2007. We recognise that there are small pockets of corruption in Her Majesty's Prison Service. We are focusing on five steps: properly identifying the extent of the threat; working to improve our intelligence on matters of corruption; working to implement common standards across the prison estate; ensuring we reinforce a culture where corruption is not tolerated; and working closely with police and other interested agencies.

Prison Service: Corruption

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  on what date Michael Spurr was interviewed as part of the Tasker investigation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 5 June 2007,  Official Report, column 390W, on the Tasker inquiry, who the previous commissioning authority referred to in the answer was; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  on what date  (a) Keith Munns and  (b) Nick Pascoe received a copy of the partial report of the Tasker inquiry; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  on what date Keith Munns was interviewed as part of the Tasker inquiry; on what date he relinquished responsibility as commissioning authority for the inquiry; to whom he relinquished it; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  on what date Nick Pascoe took over the commissioning authority role for the Tasker inquiry; who the commissioning authority was immediately before that; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  who was responsible as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry after Keith Munns was interviewed as part of the investigation; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service had access to the partial report of the Tasker inquiry prior to  (a) agreeing to be interviewed and  (b) being interviewed as part of the investigation; and if he will make a statement;
	(8)  who acted as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry between the retirement of Keith Munns and the transfer to Nick Pascoe; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  on what date Ron Tasker was informed that  (a) Keith Munns had ceased to be the commissioning authority for his investigation and  (b) Nick Pascoe had assumed responsibility; whether a draft of his interim report had been submitted to the commissioning authority previous to either of these dates; to whom the draft of the interim report was submitted and on what date; and if he will make a statement;
	(10)  what representations were received by  (a) Helen Edwards and  (b) Phil Wheatley on Keith Munns' role as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry (i) while area manager for London, (ii) at the point of his retirement and (iii) subsequent to his retirement; and if he will make a statement;
	(11)  whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service had access to the interim report of the Tasker inquiry before being interviewed as part of the inquiry on 10 May 2007; and if he will make a statement;
	(12)  pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2057W, on the Prison Service: public appointments, to whom Keith Munns was reporting when he was supporting the completion of the Tasker inquiry report; whether he was supporting Nick Pascoe or Michael Spurr in the preparation of the interim report of the Tasker inquiry; whether Michael Spurr was acting as the commissioning authority at the time of the appointment of Keith Munns for that role; on what date that appointment took place; and if he will make a statement;
	(13)  pursuant to the answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1684W, on the Tasker inquiry, what the change in the terms of reference for the Tasker investigation was; and if he will make a statement;
	(14)  on what date the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service first asked Nick Pascoe to assume responsibility as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry; on what date he became commissioning authority; and if he will make a statement;
	(15)  whether the Deputy Director General of HM Prison Service has held responsibility as commissioning authority for the Tasker inquiry; and if he will make a statement;
	(16)  pursuant to the answers of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 201W, on the Tasker investigation, 6 March 2007,  Official Report, column1941W, on the Prison Service: disclosure of information and 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 980W, on Wandsworth Prison, what the cause is of the delay in the completion of the report of the Tasker inquiry; what estimate he has made of the additional cost incurred as a consequence of these delays; when he expects the Tasker report to be  (a) completed and  (b) submitted; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: Due to the number and detail of the linked questions it has not been possible to provide a full response. I will write to the hon. Member once I have considered fully.

Prison Service: Manpower

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prison officers were working in the Prison Service in each year since 1997; what the average prison officer to prisoner ratio was at each  (a) adult prison,  (b) young offender institution and  (c) secure training centre in each year; what plans he has to increase the number of prison officers; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The available information (we do not have complete information for private sector prisons or secure training units STCs) is set out in the tables.
	There are no figures available for STCs but the supervision level is typically one member of staff to between 2.5 - 3.5 young offenders.
	In the public sector Prison Service a Business Change Team will work alongside the HR Directorate to plan and co-ordinate recruitment activity for new prisoner places and the transfer of experienced staff to enable new prisoner places to operate effectively. Normal recruitment activity continues to be largely managed at area level to ensure that staffing continues within agreed operating margins.
	
		
			  Officer grade staff in public sector Prison Service and contracted prisons( 1,2,3,4) 
			  Date as at 31 March:  Officers 
			 1997 23,058 
			 1998 23,602 
			 1999 24,113 
			 2000 24,346 
			 2001(5) 24,023 
			 2002(5) 23,681 
			 2003 24,527 
			 2004(5) 25,461 
			 2005(5) 26,246 
			 2006 26,747 
			 2007 27,053 
			 (1) Figures include both publicly and privately managed prison establishments but not secure training centres. (2 )Figures are provided on a headcount basis ie part-time officers count as one. (3 )Figures relate to prison officers, senior officers and principal officers within the public sector Prison Service and prison custody officers within contracted prisons (4 )Officers employed within public sector Prison Service Headquarters are included (5 )The data for private sector prisons are incomplete. 
		
	
	
		
			  Prisoner to officer ratio at adult establishments1997-08 to 2006-07( 1,2) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Acklington 3.6 3.6 3.2 3.4 3.6 3.8 3.9 3.8 3.9 3.8 
			 Albany 2.4 2.6 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.5 
			 Aldington 1.7 3.2 1.8
			 Ashwell 4.5 4.4 4.1 3.9 3.9 4.9 4.7 4.9 5.0 5.2 
			 Askham Grange 4.2 4.5 4.4 4.0 4.4 4.4 4.0 3.4 3.3 3.7 
			 Bedford 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.2 2.8 3.5 3.5 3.6 3.3 3.4 
			 Belmarsh 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.8 
			 Birmingham 2.7 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.8 2.9 2.5 2.8 2.8 2.7 
			 Blakenhurst(3) 7.8 5.5 4.9 3.6 4.1 4.1 
			 Blantyre House 4.0 3.5 3.3 3.3 3.4 3.4 3.5 3.8 3.7 3.9 
			 Blundeston 2.5 2.1 2.3 2.5 2.6 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.1 3.1 
			 Bristol 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.9 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.5 
			 Brixton 1.7 2.1 2.4 2.5 2.8 3.1 3.5 3.6 3.4 3.6 
			 Brockhill 1.5 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.4 1.3 1.6 
			 Buckley Hall(3)3.9 3.1 2.3 2.7 2.8 2.0 3.6 
			 Bullingdon 2.7 3.5 3.4 3.2 3.6 4.0 4.3 4.2 4.0 3.9 
			 Bullwood Hall 1.9 1.9 1.7 2.1 2.3 2.2 1.9 1.8 1.8 1.8 
			 Camp Hill 3.1 3.0 3.0 3.2 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.7 
			 Canterbury 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.9 2.7 
			 Cardiff 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.3 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.0 
			 Channings Wood 3.8 4.2 3.8 3.7 3.9 3.9 3.7 3.7 3.9 3.9 
			 Chelmsford 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.4 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.0 
			 Coldingley 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.5 3.9 4.0 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.2 
			 Cookham Wood 2.5 2.9 2.7 2.8 2.9 2.5 2.3 2.5 2.0 2.0 
			 Dartmoor 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.7 2.6 3.0 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.7 
			 Dorchester 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.6 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.4 2.3 2.3 
			 Dover 1.8 1.7 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.4 
			 Downview 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.7 1.9 2.5 2.1 1.8 2.0 2.6 
			 Drake Hall 4.4 4.2 3.1 2.6 3.3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.1 3.1 
			 Durham 2.3 2.1 2.1 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.4 2.8 
			 East Sutton Park 4.2 4.1 3.6 3.3 3.8 3.9 3.8 3.7 4.2 4.3 
			 Eastwood Park 2.5 2.9 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.5 2.3 2.3 2.0 2.3 
			 Edmunds Hill   2.1 1.1 2.0 2.8 
			 Elmley 3.2 3.5 3.3 3.1 3.4 3.5 3.8 3.8 3.8 4.2 
			 Erlestoke 3.0 3.3 3.1 3.1 3.3 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.7 
			 Everthorpe 3.5 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.5 3.1 3.6 3.6 3.7 3.8 
			 Exeter 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.7 2.8 2.8 2.6 2.7 2.7 
			 Featherstone 3.8 3.8 3.7 3.9 4.2 4.3 4.3 4.2 4.2 4.2 
			 Ford 7.5 6.8 5.9 5.7 6.8 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.2 6.9 
			 Foston Hall 1.8 2.5 2.5 2.0 2.4 2.5 2.3 2.1 2.1 1.8 
			 Frankland 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 
			 Full Sutton 0.9 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.2 
			 Garth 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.5 
			 Gartree 2.3 2.4 2.3 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.3 2.8 2.7 2.7 
			 Gloucester 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.1 2.3 2.6 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.6 
			 Grendon 2.7 2.9 2.7 2.5 2.7 3.1 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.6 
			 Guys Marsh3.9 4.0 3.8 3.9 3.9 4.1 4.1 
			 Haslar 2.9 3.1 3.1 3.0 3.2 3.0 2.7 2.4 2.6 2.7 
			 Haverigg 3.9 3.5 2.8 3.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.2 4.1 4.2 
			 Hewell Grange 6.4 6.8 6.5 6.1 5.8 6.4 5.5 5.4 5.4 5.8 
			 High Down 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.2 2.5 2.7 3.2 3.3 3.3 3.3 
			 Highpoint 3.6 3.1 3.2 3.2 4.9 5.6 4.0 4.3 4.2 4.2 
			 Hollesley Bay 2.6 2.4 2.2  2.1 2.8 6.7 5.7 5.5 5.3 
			 Holloway 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.8 1.9 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.7 
			 Holme House 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.8 3.1 3.1 3.2 3.1 3.2 3.2 
			 Hull 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.1 2.4 2.5 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.1 
			 Kingston 1.6 2.1 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.2 2.0 2.6 2.6 
			 Kirkham 7.8 7.0 5.4 5.7 5.6 5.6 5.8 5.2 5.0 4.8 
			 Kirklevington Grange 4.2 4.2 4.4 4.6 4.6 4.6 4.9 4.9 4.9 4.9 
			 Lancaster 2.4 2.5 2.1 1.6 2.5 2.8 2.9 2.5 2.8 2.6 
			 Latchmere House 5.0 4.6 4.5 4.7 4.4 4.8 5.1 5.6 5.4 5.3 
			 Leeds 2.5 2.7 2.8 2.8 3.0 3.0 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.7 
			 Leicester 1.7 1.9 2.1 2.1 2.4 2.8 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.6 
			 Lewes 2.3 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.6 3.0 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.2 
			 Leyhill 5.4 5.2 5.4 5.2 5.8 6.7 7.3 7.1 6.2 5.1 
			 Lincoln 2.6 2.1 2.1 2.0 2.3 2.1 2.2 2.1 2.3 2.4 
			 Lindholme 3.5 3.8 3.3 2.9 3.5 3.8 3.6 3.4 3.8 4.1 
			 Littlehey 4.1 3.9 3.9 3.8 4.0 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.4 
			 Liverpool 2.5 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.5 2.8 3.0 3.2 3.1 3.0 
			 Long Lartin 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.1 
			 Low Newton   1.2 1.8 2.3 2.3 2.0 2.0 1.7 1.7 
			 Maidstone 2.9 2.8 2.7 2.7 2.0 2.6 3.1 3.6 3.6 3.8 
			 Manchester 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.1 2.6 3.0 3.0 2.7 2.5 2.5 
			 Moorland 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 
			 Morton Hall 6.2 6.2 6.1 2.5 2.6 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.5 3.0 
			 New Hall 3.0 2.9 2.8 2.5 2.4 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.6 1.6 
			 North Sea Camp 6.2 5.8 6.0 6.1 5.7 7.1 7.0 5.9 5.4 5.0 
			 Northallerton2.6 2.6 2.9 
			 Norwich 2.8 2.9 2.8 2.6 3.1 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.3 3.1 
			 Nottingham 2.8 2.6 2.5 2.6 2.8 3.1 2.9 2.7 2.5 2.4 
			 Onley2.7 2.8 3.2 
			 Parkhurst 1.4 2.0 2.2 2.2 2.2 2.7 2.5 2.5 2.7 2.7 
			 Pentonville 2.5 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.2 3.2 3.1 3.1 3.0 2.8 
			 Preston 2.2 2.3 2.3 2.0 2.2 2.6 2.8 2.7 2.5 2.7 
			 Ranby 3.8 4.3 3.6 3.5 3.4 3.4 3.4 3.1 3.6 3.8 
			 Risley 2.4 2.4 2.6 2.7 2.9 3.2 3.5 3.7 3.8 3.7 
			 Rochester 2.4 2.3 2.2 2.1 1.6 1.2 
			 Send 4.3 1.4 2.1 2.9 3.1 3.5 3.2 3.1 2.6 2.6 
			 Shepton Mallet 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.2 2.6 2.9 2.9 2.9 2.9 3.0 
			 Shrewsbury 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.9 3.1 3.1 2.8 2.6 3.0 
			 Stafford 3.0 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.4 3.7 3.8 4.0 4.1 4.2 
			 Standford Hill 4.8 4.6 3.8 3.9 4.3 4.8 4.6 4.9 5.5 5.6 
			 Stocken 3.7 4.3 4.0 4.1 4.1 4.2 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.1 
			 Styal 2.4 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.4 2.1 2.1 2.3 
			 Sudbury 7.0 7.4 7.4 7.5 8.0 8.0 7.9 8.0 8.1 7.9 
			 Swaleside 2.8 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.1 3.3 3.2 3.0 3.1 3.4 
			 Swansea 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.8 2.6 2.4 2.6 2.8 
			 The Mount 4.3 4.5 4.0 4.6 4.8 5.2 5.1 5.0 4.8 4.6 
			 The Verne 4.2 4.4 4.3 4.5 4.6 4.9 5.2 5.1 5.1 5.3 
			 Usk/Prescoed 3.1 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.7 3.8 4.4 4.4 4.4 4.2 
			 Wakefield 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.8 
			 Wandsworth 2.2 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.4 3.8 3.9 3.8 3.7 3.7 
			 Wayland 4.4 4.3 4.0 4.2 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.6 4.7 4.6 
			 Wealstun 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.1 4.2 3.9 3.6 3.5 4.0 4.0 
			 Weare  2.8 2.9 2.9 3.1 3.3 3.2 3.2 5.5  
			 Wellingborough 2.8 3.0 2.8 3.2 3.5 3.7 3.4 3.0 3.2 3.6 
			 Whatton 3.1 3.4 3.7 3.7 3.3 3.2 3.4 2.7 1.8 3.4 
			 Whitemoor 1.0 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.8 0.9 0.9 0.9 1.0 1.0 
			 Winchester 2.2 2.4 2.7 2.7 2.7 2.8 3.0 3.0 3.3 3.2 
			 Woodhill 1.9 1.6 1.6 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.8 
			 Wormwood Scrubs 3.0 2.8 2.0 2.5 3.3 4.0 3.8 3.8 3.9 3.9 
			 Wymott 3.3 3.5 3.7 3.8 4.0 3.7 3.3 4.0 4.1 4.0 
			 GSL Prisons(4)   5.7 5.7 5.5 5.8 
			 Bronzefield3.6 2.8 2.7 
			 Dovegate  3.8 4.3 3.5 3.6 3.7 
			 Doncaster 9.2 6.1 4.5 4.3 4.1 4.4 
			 Forest Bank   5.7 5.7 5.4 5.4 
			 Lowdham Grange 3.9 4.2 4.3 4.0 3.7 3.6 
			 Peterborough 2.7 3.3 
			 Parc  3.9 3.2 3.2 3.5 3.7 3.6 3.5 3.5 3.6 
			 (1) The ratio is the average prisoner population against the average number of officer grade staff except for the 1997-98 and 1998-99 officer figures where a snapshot at the start of the year is used. This is the standard form of ratio that is captured. (2) A blank entry means that the establishment was either not open during the year, not that category during the year or, for contracted establishments, officer numbers were not available for the period. An establishment can therefore appear in more than one table. (3) Staff numbers for Blakenhurst and Buckley Hall are not available for the period when they were privately managed. (4) GSL reported staff numbers together for the three prisons they manageAltcourse, Rye Hill and Wolds. 
		
	
	
		
			  Prisoner to officer ratios at young offender establishments1997-08 to 2006-07( 1,2) 
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Aylesbury 2.0 2.0 1.9 2.0 2.0 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.3 2.4 
			 Brinsford 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.2 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 
			 Castington 2.4 2.6 1.7 1.1 1.4 1.5 1.3 1.7 1.6 1.8 
			 Deerbolt 2.6 2.7 2.7 2.8 2.8 3.0 2.5 2.5 2.2 2.3 
			 Dover 2.7 2.6 2.4 2.5   
			 Feltham 2.7 2.6 2.3 1.8 1.8 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.5 
			 Glen Parva 2.9 2.8 2.9 2.7 2.8 2.9 3.0 2.8 2.9 3.0 
			 Guys Marsh 3.8 4.0 3.9
			 Hindley 2.4 2.2 2.1 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.0 1.9 1.8 2.0 
			 Hollesley Bay1.9   
			 Huntercombe 2.9 3.0 1.9 2.0   
			 Lancaster Farms 2.6 2.6 2.5 2.4 2.5 2.4 2.1 2.1 2.1 2.1 
			 Low Newton 2.6 1.8 
			 Moorland 2.8 2.8 2.8 2.9 2.9 2.9 
			 Northallerton 2.6 2.9 3.13.2 3.2 3.1 3.6 
			 Onley 3.3 3.0 2.6 2.3 2.4 2.4 2.1
			 Portland 3.2 3.5 3.3 2.9 2.7 2.6 2.6 2.6 2.3 2.7 
			 Reading 1.8 1.9 1.7 1.7 1.9 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.4 2.3 
			 Rochester   1.5 2.4 2.7 2.7 
			 Stoke Heath 3.5 3.3 3.0 2.3 2.3 2.7 2.6 2.7 2.6 2.8 
			 Swinfen Hall 2.3 2.3 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.1 2.9 2.9 
			 Thorn Cross 2.1 2.0 2.2 2.0 1.9 1.9 2.0 2.4 2.1 1.9 
			 Usk/Prescoed 3.1 3.4 3.5 3.5 3.7 3.8 
			 Werrington 3.3  
			 Wetherby 2.8 2.2 2.1 1.7   
			 (1) The ratio is the average prisoner population against the average number of officer grade staff except for the 1997-98 and 1998-99 officer figures where a snapshot at the start of the year is used. This is the standard form of ratio that is captured. (2) A blank entry means that the establishment was either not open during the year, not that category during the year or, for contracted establishments, officer numbers were not available for the period. An establishment can therefore appear in more than one table. 
		
	
	continued

Prison Service: Overtime

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much was spent on staff overtime in  (a) the Prison Service and  (b) the Probation Service in the last five years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: Expenditure on overtime in HM Prison Service is as follows.
	
		
			
			 2006-07 10,610,045.39 
			 2005-06 11,290,807.25 
			 2004-05 11,845,928.68 
			 2003-04 12,253,706.70 
			 2002-03 12,074,887.73 
		
	
	In addition, the prison service has operated in some establishments a Contracted Supplementary Hours (CSH) scheme to meet specific operational needs, by which it pays for agreed volumes of additional hours from individual staff for specific periods at a standardised hourly rate. In some localised circumstances it is also possible for staff to work additional hours, for which they receive time off in lieu of payment. The expenditure on CSH (to nearest thousand pounds) is as follows:
	
		
			
			 2006-07 19,684,000 
			 2005-06 15,226,000 
			 2004-05 17,183,000 
			 2003-04 18,341,000 
			 2002-03 (1) 
			 (1 )Not separately recorded. 
		
	
	Expenditure on overtime in the contracted out prisons is not collected by the Ministry of Justice.
	The Ministry of Justice does not currently collect information on overtime expenditure from the 42 probation boards.

Prison Service: Professional Standards Unit

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 12 June 2007,  Official Report, column 951W, on the Prison Service: Professional Standards Unit, who has the responsibility for the  (a) monitoring and  (b) checking of formal investigations within HM Prison Service; what the role of the Professional Standards Unit is in this regard; and if he will make a statement.

David Hanson: The Investigation Support Section of the Professional Standards Unit registers, tracks the progress of and logs all formal investigations. The Commissioning Authority, not the Professional Standards Unit, is responsible for checking the quality of the report and ensuring that terms of reference have been met.

Prisoners

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what projection he has made of  (a) the operational prison capacity and  (b) the certified nominal accommodation of the prison estate in England and Wales on (a) 1 October, (b) 1 January, (c) 1 April and (d) 1 July in each year to April 2012.

David Hanson: NOMS undertakes a rolling programme of refurbishment on the prison estate. As schemes come back into use following refurbishment, other schemes are taken forward and the accommodation is taken out of use.
	8,000 new prison places were announced by the Home Secretary in July 2006 and a further 1,500 places by the Lord Chancellor on 19 June. The programme is still in the planning stages and the number of places to be provided beyond 2007 has not been finalised.

Prisoners Release

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice from which prisons prisoners have been released under the End of Custody Licence Scheme; and how many prisoners have been released under the scheme, broken down by offence for which they were imprisoned.

David Hanson: Figures showing the numbers of prisoners who were released under End of Custody Licence between 29 June and 5 July from prison establishments within England and Wales, showing from which prison they were released and the offence group for which they were serving sentences, can be found in the following table. These figures are based on statistics published on 16 July and updates will be published monthly.
	The End of Custody Licence was introduced on 29 June 2007. Eligible prisoners serving between four weeks and less than four years may be released under licence from prison up to 18 days before their automatic release date.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Table 1: ECL releases: by offence, sentence length, age, ethnic group and sex 
			   Male  Female  Total 
			 All ECL releases between 29 June 2007 and 5 July 2007 1,552 149 1,701 
			  By offence
			 Violence against the person(1) 317 27 344 
			 Robbery 22 2 24 
			 Burglary 148 1 149 
			 Theft and Handling 354 50 404 
			 Fraud and Forgery 31 6 37 
			 Drug offences 57 8 65 
			 Motoring offences 213 6 219 
			 Other offences 379 48 427 
			 Offence not recorded 31 1 32 
			 (1) Excludes serious violent offences such as murder, manslaughter, wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm, possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, child cruelty and serious explosives offences. A full list of exclusions can be found in Prison Service Instruction 27/2007.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. See Data Sources and Quality section of report for more information.

Prisoners Release

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners were released under the End of Custody Licence Scheme on each day since 27 June 2007; and how many of those released have since been re-arrested for further suspected offences.

David Hanson: Figures showing the daily number of releases of prisoners released on End of Custody Licence up to the end of the period for which published material is available, and the numbers returned to prison, are in the following tables:
	
		
			  Date  Number of releases 
			 Friday 29 June 2007 884 
			 Monday 2 July 2007 506 
			 Tuesday 3 July 2007 124 
			 Wednesday 4 July 2007 87 
			 Thursday 5 July 2007 100 
		
	
	
		
			   Number 
			 Decisions to recall as notified to NOMS 30 
			  By reason for recall:  
			 Re-offended1 6 
			 Failed to reside2 6 
			 Out of touch3 11 
			 Poor behaviour4 7 
			   
			 Number of offenders unlawfully at large on 5 July 2007 18 
		
	
	Information on the number of arrests for suspected offences is not held centrally.
	These figures are based on statistics published on 16 July and updates will be published monthly. The End of Custody Licence was introduced on 29 June 2007.
	Eligible prisoners serving between four weeks and less than four years may be released under licence from prison up to 18 days before their automatic release date. These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Dorset

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the  (a) certified normal capacity and  (b) current prison population for prisons is in Dorset.

David Hanson: The data requested are provided in the following table. These figures are for 20 July 2007.
	
		
			  Prison  Certified normal accommodation( 1)  Operational capacity( 2)  Population 
			 Dorchester 147 260 235 
			 Guys Marsh 520 578 561 
			 Portland 519 557 543 
			 Verne 558 593 586 
			 (1) The Certified normal accommodation (CNA) of a prison measures its capacity to accommodate prisoners in uncrowded conditions. (2) Operational capacity for establishments is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime.

Probation

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many offenders were being monitored by each local probation service in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Information on the number of persons supervised by each probation service area in England and Wales at 31 December in each year from 2002 to 2005 is shown in the following table. Data for 2006 are due to be published on 31 July 2007. The data at local area level were not sufficiently robust for publication prior to 2002.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Total persons supervised by each probation service area at 31 December, 2002 to 2005 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Avon and Somerset 3,587 3,751 3,989 4,120 
			 Bedfordshire 1,983 2,306 2,509 2,303 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,974 2,148 2,269 2,635 
			 Cheshire 2,548 2,605 2,763 3,256 
			 Cumbria 1,805 1,837 1,924 1,881 
			 Derbyshire 3,560 3,616 3,715 3,864 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,980 3,991 3,767 3,910 
			 Dorset 1,680 1,567 1,647 1,781 
			 Durham 2,175 2,247 2,255 2,371 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1,241 1,293 1,290 1,341 
			 East and West Sussex 4,159 4,473 4,798 4,515 
			 Essex 3,905 4,169 4,691 5,098 
			 Gloucestershire 1,435 1,470 1,605 1,723 
			 Greater Manchester 12,896 13,514 14,386 14,988 
			 Gwent 2,458 2,369 2,486 2,445 
			 Hampshire 5,164 5,085 5,458 5,896 
			 Hertfordshire 2,311 1,767 2,837 2,983 
			 Humberside 3,498 2,512 3,785 3,979 
			 Kent 4,633 4,719 4,619 4,685 
			 Lancashire 6,029 5,995 6,083 6,421 
			 Leicestershire 3,340 3,505 3,462 3,709 
			 Lincolnshire 1,662 1,976 2,032 1,882 
			 London 31,992 30,690 34,011 41,665 
			 Merseyside 7,912 8,704 9,249 10,297 
			 Norfolk 2,273 2,270 2,290 2,430 
			 North Wales 2,060 2,104 2,242 2,398 
			 North Yorkshire 1,697 1,876 1,984 2,237 
			 Northamptonshire 1,998 2,133 2,205 2,303 
			 Northumbria 5,686 5,848 5,742 5,944 
			 Nottinghamshire 4,869 5,361 5,540 5,581 
			 South Wales 5,525 5,657 6,197 6,394 
			 South Yorkshire 5,830 6,108 6,299 6,403 
			 Staffordshire 3,559 3,646 3,753 3,865 
			 Suffolk 1,393 1,563 1,684 1,879 
			 Surrey 1,535 1,663 1,726 1,799 
			 Teesside 3,071 3,347 3,489 3,402 
			 Thames Valley 5,408 5,011 5,394 5,883 
			 Warwickshire 1,368 1,387 1,428 1,412 
			 West Mercia 3,184 3,277 3,356 3,747 
			 West Midlands 16,336 16,697 18,225 18,124 
			 West Yorkshire 9,590 9,992 10,768 11,042 
			 Wiltshire 1,555 1,690 1,509 1,503

Probation: Finance

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget was of each local probation service in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: The resource budget allocations to probation boards from 2001-02 are given in the table. Prior to 2001-02, probation services were delivered through local Probation Committees which were partly funded by local authorities and were organised on a slightly different basis.
	During the six year period from 2001-02 there have been changes to the budget allocation methodology and to accounting treatment, which will affect the comparability of the figures.
	
		
			  Probation boards end-year budgets 
			  Revenue (000) 
			  Boards  2006-07  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 Avon and Somerset 19,771 18,273 16,851 15,612 14,891 15,856 
			 Bedfordshire 8,499 8,180 7,182 6,517 6,196 5,526 
			 Cambridgeshire 9,273 8,895 7,375 6,835 6,168 6,365 
			 Cheshire 15,688 15,393 13,427 11,692 10,012 8,984 
			 Cumbria 7,897 7,466 6,241 6,279 5,710 5,288 
			 Derbyshire 12,891 12,166 11,088 10,335 9,516 8,534 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19,638 18,184 15,646 15,667 13,967 12,740 
			 Dorset 8,277 7,989 7,338 7,307 6,876 5,761 
			 Durham 10,245 9,513 8,697 7,820 7,431 5,975 
			 Essex 18,922 17,839 16,220 14,849 14,502 13,700 
			 Gloucestershire 6,959 6,524 5,975 5,874 5,102 4,943 
			 Hampshire 23,057 21,872 20,026 18,427 18,079 13,841 
			 Hertfordshire 10,569 9,618 8,691 8,409 8,654 7,034 
			 Humberside 16,130 14,964 13,010 12,422 11,090 9,414 
			 Kent 20,340 19,052 16,760 16,322 15,116 13,673 
			 Lancashire 21,394 20,251 18,837 18,600 16,859 14,307 
			 Leicestershire 13,805 13,071 11,778 11,086 9,911 8,774 
			 Lincolnshire 9,038 8,446 7,469 7,134 6,127 5,606 
			 Norfolk 10,608 10,205 8,477 7,927 7,171 6,543 
			 Northamptonshire 8,816 8,149 7,158 6,920 6,018 5,131 
			 North Yorkshire 9,478 8,998 7,937 7,486 6,877 5,701 
			 Nottinghamshire 18,117 17,190 14,861 14,232 13,220 11,658 
			 Staffordshire 15,913 14,361 12,319 11,769 10,930 9,586 
			 Suffolk 9,445 8,771 7,583 7,361 6,889 6,268 
			 Surrey 10,081 9,421 7,779 7,784 7,523 6,881 
			 Sussex 16,991 15,677 14,033 12,789 11,367 10,396 
			 Teeside 13,052 12,178 10,954 10,613 9,523 9,805 
			 Thames Valley 24,373 23,421 20,795 19,787 18,463 20,831 
			 Warwickshire 6,743 6,492 5,698 5,452 4,749 4,368 
			 West Mercia 13,642 13,197 11,774 11,188 10,057 9,251 
			 Wiltshire 7,720 7,224 5,964 5,510 4,874 4,606 
			 Greater Manchester 47,532 45,645 40,985 38,521 34,479 31,731 
			 Merseyside 28,820 28,643 25,798 24,621 22,410 23,062 
			 Northumbria 26,964 26,005 22,999 22,113 18,459 16,641 
			 South Yorkshire 24,058 23,041 20,858 20,381 18,191 16,153 
			 West Midlands 53,377 50,140 44,076 41,932 38,581 37,865 
			 West Yorkshire 38,193 36,226 33,366 30,986 28,062 26,931 
			 London 137,416 132,637 107,888 110,390 106,612 94,328 
			 Dyfed-Powys 8,058 7,541 6,478 5,784 5,162 4,579 
			 Gwent 10,930 10,018 8,938 8,029 7,197 5,215 
			 North Wales 11,696 11,027 10,067 9,044 8,223 6,774 
			 South Wales 24,402 23,098 20,917 19,328 18,104 17,062 
			
			 Total 828,817 786,995 690,312 661,130 609,348 557,686 
			  Note:  The 2002-03 figures for Warwickshire and North Yorkshire are estimated.

Probation: Manpower

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) members of staff and  (b) probation officers were employed by each local probation service in each of the last 10 years.

David Hanson: Information is not available for the full period requested. Data collected prior to 1 April 2003 are unreliable, and are not directly comparable with the more accurate figures collected since that time. The figures presented in the following table show full time equivalent (FTE) figures for the period 2003-2006. The figures for each year are as at 31 December.
	
		
			  Staff in post in the NFS by area 2003-06 
			  Area  PO  NPS  PO  NPS  PO  NPS  PO  NPS 
			 Avon and Somerset 112.90 499.13 153.70 493.79 166.20 525.00 185.30 527.60 
			 Bedfordshire 61.10 189.02 61.00 182.05 65.30 192.30 64.40 203.80 
			 Cambridgeshire 85.35 225.32 78.27 223.12 79.30 242.18 83.40 251.03 
			 Cheshire 112.30 354.69 113.90 345.00 124.30 375.04 128.95 377.53 
			 Cumbria 59.90 173.69 57.50 171.84 63.30 189.06 70.30 197.35 
			 Derbyshire 106.70 337.90 109.20 345.60 119.50 364.00 120.30 348.00 
			 Devon and Cornwall 149.35 465.12 149.10 447.90 165.40 492.00 163.02 510.17 
			 Dorset 68.00 200.50 66.79 212.09 75.60 225.87 72.03 222.76 
			 Durham 86.50 261.80 96.70 290.47 99.50 297.10 101.90 297.61 
			 Dyfed Powys 46.30 144.10 49.10 148.18 55.70 165.86 48.80 193.44 
			 Essex 111.20 393.10 120.11 432.60 120.80 475.80 122.60 473.80 
			 Gloucestershire 56.40 170.23 59.69 177.44 59.80 183.70 52.78 192.18 
			 Gwent 68.10 236.10 67.30 235.50 65.30 256.60 92.10 280.10 
			 Hampshire 173.59 515.74 190.40 518.50 197.40 582.60 187.20 601.70 
			 Hertfordshire 65.90 212.70 71.70 220.30 73.20 228.20 62.40 246.86 
			 Humberside 139.78 433.56 147.91 446.72 161.80 477.56 167.25 467.24 
			 Kent 148.55 454.85 146.20 456.97 154.10 475.37 153.27 504.85 
			 Lancashire 243.60 594.80 253.20 600.70 253.70 577.40 255.80 564.00 
			 Leicestershire 125.00 393.30 138.20 442.00 153.20 466.80 154.00 477.80 
			 Lincolnshire 61.60 230.95 63.60 228.06 67.10 228.91 71 03 252.84 
			 London 840.50 2,510.00 835.41 2,398.30 821.40 2,557.54 830.17 2,856.73 
			 Greater Manchester 399.80 1,204.20 404.40 1,305.27 385.80 1,340.16 455.79 1,409.83 
			 Merseyside 241.50 723.10 268.43 776.18 281.20 783.03 267.95 753.13 
			 Norfolk 76.88 239.72 79.85 238.27 86.40 283.67 78.35 303.33 
			 North Yorkshire 75.80 208.00 88.60 228.40 89.60 222.55 86.50 229.99 
			 North Wales 67.10 230.30 84.20 237.30 87.30 243.30 90.10 256.80 
			 Northamptonshire 65.00 235.90 66.63 211.86 68.30 230.49 87.10 263.13 
			 Northumbria 252.26 665,56 267.95 674.88 283.30 670.11 277.95 660.67 
			 Nottinghamshire 171.50 488.70 166.11 492.12 168.20 545.20 177.00 570.70 
			 South Wales 157.60 530.28 195.90 561.10 215.10 618.30 200.10 620.63 
			 South Yorkshire 203.00 641.40 212.70 654.00 226.80 662.70 221.40 643.42 
			 Staffordshire 147.10 390.80 152.30 415.30 160.60 421.40 163.30 418.70 
			 Suffolk 81.75 209.36 83.00 207.56 86.10 222.70 86.04 236.10 
			 Surrey 63.90 232.80 68.30 245.18 70.00 262.91 69.20 264.17 
			 Sussex 123.30 330.48 128.74 363.35 147.10 402.04 151.62 427.21 
			 Teeside 76.60 314.70 87.65 312.15 104.10 330.38 104.80 332.42 
			 Thames Valley 176.70 594.30 176.40 610.70 180.20 622.20 180.40 649.00 
			 Warwickshire 55.00 160.80 51.33 162.97 59.30 174 42 52 53 172.40 
			 West Mercia 125.46 370.47 141.30 372.69 144.50 374.09 150.99 396.54 
			 West Midlands 429.20 1223.70 444.50 1235.80 493.50 1339.97 497.42 1420.44 
			 West Yorkshire 310.48 1,027.05 343.37 1,051 73 361.00 1,041.55 370.06 1,064.68 
			 Wiltshire 48.90 145.60 44.30 149.00 54.20 172.00 61.60 188.30 
			  
			 Total 6,271.45 19,163.82 6,584.94 19,522.94 6,894.50 20,542.06 7,017.20 21,328.98

Public Defender Service: Liverpool

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the cost was of establishing the Public Defender Service Office in St. John's Street, Liverpool; and what its running costs have been since establishment.

Maria Eagle: The set up costs and annual running costs of the Liverpool Public Defender Service Office are as follows:
	
		
			   Amount () 
			 2001-02 (1)164,348 
			 2001-02 (2)385,332 
			 2002-03 (2)488,927 
			 2003-04 (2)564,784 
			 2004-05 (2)682,617 
			 2005-06 (2)639,983 
			 (1 )Set up costs. (2 )Running costs. 
		
	
	These figures were published in the PDS Annual Reports which are available on the Legal Services Commission's website (www.legalservices.gov.uk).

Public Defender Service: Pilot Schemes

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the expected completion dates are of the public defence pilots in  (a) Swansea,  (b) Middlesbrough,  (c) Birmingham,  (d) Cheltenham and  (e) other locations.

Maria Eagle: The Public Defender Service pilot, running in Birmingham, Cheltenham, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Pontypridd, Swansea, Chester and Darlington, concluded on 31 March 2005. The Middlesbrough office closed during 2006, and in February 2007 the Legal Services Commission proposed to close the Birmingham, Chester and Liverpool offices. All operated in areas with ample alternative Criminal Defence Service supply. The Cheltenham, Darlington, Pontypridd and Swansea offices continue to operate.

Public Defender Service: Pilot Schemes

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment the Government have made of the Public Defence Office pilots.

Maria Eagle: The Government commissioned an independent team of leading academics, lead by Professor Lee Bridges of the University of Warwick, to undertake a full evaluation of the PDS pilot. The final report entitled Evaluation of the Public Defender Service in England and Wales was published in January 2007 and can be found on the Legal Services Commission's website at;
	www.legalservices.gov.uk/docs/pds/Public_Defenders_Report_PDFVersion6.pdf.
	A copy of the final report can also be found in the Libraries of the House.

Public Defender Service: Standards

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will assess the comparative  (a) cost and  (b) quality of service of the Public Defender Service Office and private sector criminal defence lawyers.

Maria Eagle: The Independent Evaluation of the Public Defender Service (PDS) in England and Wales, which was published in January 2007, includes an assessment of the comparative cost and quality provided by the PDS. The final report entitled Evaluation of the Public Defender Service in England and Wales was published in January 2007 and can be found on the Legal Services Commission's website at;
	www.legalservices.gov.uk/docs/pds/Public_Defenders_Report_PDFVersion6.pdf.
	A copy of the final report can also be found in the Libraries of the House.

Repossession Orders: Greater London

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many court orders were issued for the repossession of homes by each London county court in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: The table shows the number of mortgage possession orders made in each London county court since 2004.
	The civil procedure rules provide that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, these county courts cover areas that are not necessarily consistent with other administrative or constituency boundaries, and therefore for example, possession orders made at Croydon county court may relate to properties in other London boroughs besides Croydon.
	These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all orders result in the properties actually being repossessed.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage possession orders made in the county courts in London, 2004-06 
			   Possession orders made( 1) 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			 Barnet 287 552 580 
			 Bow 897 1,423 1,702 
			 Brentford 372 602 779 
			 Bromley 585 1,037 1,121 
			 Central London 265 506 409 
			 Clerkenwell and Shoreditch 406 661 804 
			 Croydon 895 1,474 1,856 
			 Edmonton 644 1,121 1,249 
			 Ilford 392 563 650 
			 Kingston-upon-Thames 209 356 420 
			 Lambeth 553 920 1,089 
			 Mayors and City 3 1 9 
			 Romford 486 900 981 
			 Uxbridge 347 515 595 
			 Wandsworth 340 555 582 
			 West London 141 287 293 
			 Willesden 497 893 1,080 
			 Woolwich 343 624 903 
			 London total 7,662 12,990 15,102 
			 (1) Includes suspended orders. The court, following a judicial hearing, may grant an order for possession immediately. This entitles the claimant to apply for a warrant to have the defendant evicted. However, even where a warrant for possession is issued, the parties can still negotiate a compromise to prevent eviction.

Road Traffic Offences: Prisoners Release

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for convictions in relation to which types of motoring offence prisoners are eligible for early release under the early release scheme.

David Hanson: The End of Custody Licence came into use on 29 June 2007. Eligible prisoners serving four weeks or more but less than four years may be released under licence from prison up to 18 days before their automatic release date. Full details of the eligibility criteria are set out in Prison Service Instruction 27/2007. Prisoners convicted of motoring offences are eligible for release on End of Custody Licence.

Theft: Bicycles

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were  (a) prosecuted and  (b) sentenced for bicycle thefts in (i) Eastbourne and (ii) East Sussex in each of the last five years.

Maria Eagle: One person was prosecuted and one sentenced in the Eastbourne and Hailsham court area in 2001 for bicycle theft. In the same year, 10 people were prosecuted and six sentenced in the Eastern Sussex court area for the same offence.
	From 1 January 2002 it was not possible to separately identify people prosecuted and sentenced in the Eastbourne and Hailsham court from those in other courts within the Eastern Sussex court area. The following table shows the number of people prosecuted and sentenced in the Eastern Sussex court area from 2002 to 2005, the latest year for which data are available.
	
		
			  Number of people proceeded against at magistrates courts and sentenced at all courts, for bicycle thefts in the Eastern Sussex court area: 2001 to 2005( 1, 2) 
			   Proceeded against  Sentenced 
			 2002 1 1 
			 2003 3 3 
			 2004 3 3 
			 2005 3 2 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Note: In 2001 it was possible to give the number of people proceeded against and sentenced for bicycle theft within the Eastbourne and Hailsham court area. However, from 1 January 2002 it is not possible to separate data in relation to the individual courts within the Eastern Sussex court area.

Thorn Cross Young Offender Institution: Vocational Education

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many inmates of Thorn Cross Young Offenders Institute have acquired vocational qualifications whilst detained at the institute.

David Hanson: In the periods 2005-06 and 2006-07, 104 and 145 prisoners respectively acquired vocational qualifications at HMYOI Thorn Cross. In the first three months of the current business year 2007-08, 91 prisoners have so far gained a vocational qualification at the establishment.

Tribunals

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent estimate he has made of the cost of setting up the new tribunals service under the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill if enacted.

Bridget Prentice: The Tribunals Service has been operating as a government agency since April 2006. The net running costs in 2006-07 were 286.8 million. The Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Bill was published on the 16 November 2006. That identified the estimated additional cost of implementation as 50,000. This was for establishing the Tribunal Procedure Committee as set out in The Regulatory Impact Assessment. These estimates will be updated as required by the Cabinet Office guidance on Impact Assessments.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of patients seeking advice and treatment for alcohol related illnesses since 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested. Estimates of the proportion of adults (aged 16 and over) in Great Britain, who have discussed drinking with their general practitioner or another medical person, are available from the Office for National Statistics Omnibus Survey. Estimated proportions are based on all drinkers. Questions on alcohol are included in the Omnibus Survey biennially and the data is provided in table 1 for 2004 and 2006.
	The number of alcohol related illnesses is not available in the format requested. Data are available providing the number of adults, aged 16 and over, admitted to national health service hospitals in England with a primary or secondary diagnosis that is specifically related to alcohol consumption. These figures are presented in table 2 and are published in Statistics on Alcohol: England 2007 produced by The Information Centre for health and social care, available at: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/alcohol07. Numbers of those admitted with a diagnosis of an accident, illness or disease that does not specifically relate to alcohol but can be attributed to alcohol consumption are not currently available.
	
		
			  Table 1 Discussion of drinking in the last year, by gender, 2004 and 2006 Great Britain 
			  Percentage( 1) 
			  Discussed drinking with :  2004  2006 
			  Men( 2)   
			 GP 8 11 
			 Someone else at the surgery 1 2 
			 Doctor elsewhere 1 1 
			 Other medical person elsewhere 1 2 
			 Not discussed drinking 89 86 
			  Women( 2)   
			 GP 5 5 
			 Someone else at the surgery 1 1 
			 Doctor elsewhere 1 1 
			 Other medical person elsewhere 1 1 
			 Not discussed drinking 92 92 
			  Bases   
			 Men 1,384 1,017 
			 Women 1,645 1,156 
			 (1) Percentages may sum to more than 100 per cent. as respondents could give more than one answer (2) Aged 16 and over (3) Percentages are based on respondents who drink alcohol  Source:  Drinking: Adults' behaviour and knowledge in 2006. Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 NHS( 1)  hospital admissions( 2)  for adults( 3)  where there was either a primary( 4 ) or secondaryEngland 
			  Number 
			   2004-05  2005-06 
			 Primary diagnosis 48,082 52,271 
			 Primary or secondary diagnosis 164,787 187,643 
			 (1) The data include private patients in NHS hospitals (but not private patients in private hospitals) (2) A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year (3) Aged 16 and over (4) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital (5) The figures for primary or secondary diagnosis represent a count of all finished in-year admissions where the diagnosis was mentioned in any of the 14 diagnosis fields in a HES record (6) Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (7) Figures do not include hospital admissions for accidents, illnesses or diseases that do not directly relate to alcohol consumption but can be attributed to alcohol consumption  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics. The Information Centre, 2007

Barnet Primary Care Trust: Pay

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to improve payroll arrangements at Barnet primary care trust, with particular reference to the time taken to correct errors; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many employees of Barnet primary care trust experienced payroll errors in each of the last six months; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: This is a local matter and is the responsibility of Barnet primary care trust.

Cancer: Medical Treatments

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department has undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of the use of photodynamic therapy cancer treatments compared with other cancer treatments in respect of  (a) patient care and  (b) NHS finances;
	(2)  whether his Department plans to extend the use and availability of photodynamic therapy cancer treatments;
	(3)  what the median cost per patient was of photodynamic therapy cancer treatment in comparison to other cancer treatments in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(4)  what obstacles exist to widening the use and availability of photodynamic therapy cancer treatments within the NHS;
	(5)  what representations he has received from  (a) medical bodies and  (b) cancer charities on photodynamic therapy cancer treatment;
	(6)  how many NHS patients with relevant conditions were offered photodynamic therapy cancer treatments in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(7)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of photodynamic therapy cancer treatments within the NHS on  (a) patient throughput,  (b) bed use and  (c) patient recovery times.

Ann Keen: The Department has made no assessment of the impact of photodynamic therapy (PDT) cancer treatments within the national health service on patient throughput, bed use and patient recovery times. The department has not made a cost-benefit analysis of the use of photodynamic therapy cancer treatments compared with other cancer treatments in respect of patient care and NHS finances.
	Information on the number of patients offered photodynamic therapy cancer treatment or the cost per patient of photodynamic therapy cancer treatment is not collected by the Department.
	As part of its programme of work on interventional procedures, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued guidance on the use of PDT in the treatment of several cancers.
	NICE has stated that PDT for the treatment of Barrett's oesophagus, advanced bronchial carcinoma, endobronchial carcinoma, bile duct cancer and skin tumours is safe and works well enough for use in the NHS, provided normal arrangements are in place for consent, audit and clinical governance.
	NICE has also issued guidance on the use of PDT for early stage oesophageal cancer, stating that current evidence on PDT for the treatment of this disease is not adequate to support its use without special arrangements for consent, audit and clinical governance.
	It will be for the NHS locally to decide whether to offer this treatment to patients. Where a local decision is made to do so, it will be for the relevant primary care trust to plan how to make PDT available to patients and identify any obstacles which might need to be overcome.
	The Department has received a number of written representations about photodynamic therapy cancer treatment from the charity Killing Cancer.

Chemicals: Health Hazards

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has conducted into the impact on  (a) indoor air quality and  (b) human health of the use of air fresheners.

Dawn Primarolo: In 1997, the Department together with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) commissioned a joint research programme on the effects on health of exposure to air pollutants and damp in the home. This programme focused on indoor air pollution and its effects on health. In particular, the health effects on sensitive individuals within the population and the interactions between indoor air pollutants and health effects of damp in the domestic environment. There were 13 projects in total, seven of which were funded directly by the Department. Further details of these projects can be found at table three of Air Pollution Research Funded which is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/07/06/08/04070608.pdf.
	Copies are available in the Library.
	Air freshening products contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and in 1997, the Department's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) was asked to consider the health effects of exposure to VOCs in the home. As part of this, COMEAP considered data collected by the Buildings Research Establishment on behalf of the DETR and had published a statement in their 1997-98 annual report which is available at
	www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/pdfs/comeap9798.pdf.
	Copies are available in the Library.
	COMEAP has published a document Guidance on the Effects on Health of Indoor Air Pollutants on its website
	www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/pdfs/guidanceindoorairqualityDec04.pdf.
	Copies have been placed in the Library.
	This contains a brief section on volatile organic compounds and on household products. It advises that ensuring good ventilation in homes is the best way to reduce exposure.

Clostridium: Disease Control

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent advice his Department has given to hospitals on the  (a) prevention and  (b) treatment of clostridium difficile.

Ann Keen: In addition to the answer given to the hon. Member on 19 March 2007,  Official Report, column 725W, we issued a revised version of Saving Lives: a delivery programme to reduce healthcare associated infections including MRSA on 21 June 2007. This includes an updated high impact intervention on  Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) and Antimicrobial prescribingA summary of good practice. The latter is relevant because improved prescribing helps to prevent C.difficile infection.

Dehydration

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effect of mild dehydration on mental performance in  (a) children and  (b) adults.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government have not assessed the effect of mild dehydration on mental performance.
	The Government do, however, advise that 6-8 glasses (about 1.2 litres) of water, or other fluids, should be consumed every day to prevent dehydration. This is based on physiological studies and this amount should be increased when the weather is warm or when exercising.

Dental Services: Gloucestershire

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists practised in Gloucestershire in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available, broken down by constituency.

Ann Keen: Numbers of national health service dentists in England as at 31 March 1997 to 2006 are available in the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006. Information at parliamentary constituency area is available in Annex G. Annex E also contains information at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) area. This information is based on the old contractual arrangements. This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-March-2006
	Numbers of NHS dentists in England as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 are available in Table G of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England Q4: 31 March 2007 report. These data are not provided at constituency level.
	This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalq4
	The figures for quarter 4 and the earlier quarters in the year are provisional and are subject to revision. The final work force figure for 2006-07 will not be available until August 2007 when the information centre for health and social care will publish an end year report on the first 12 months of the new contractual arrangements.
	This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements and is not directly comparable with earlier information.
	In both sets of figures, no account is taken of the level of service, if any, that each dentist provides.

Dental Services: Lancashire

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in  (a) Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust and  (b) North Lancashire NHS Trust are registered with an NHS dentist.

Ann Keen: Registration data no longer forms part of the data available under the new national health service dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. The new measure is patients seen in the previous 24 months and is not comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
	The numbers of patients seen as a percentage of the population in the previous 24 months are available in table F2 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England Q4: 31 March 2007 report. Information is for the previous 24 months ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 and is available at strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCT) area in England.
	This report is available in the Library. It is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalq4.
	As from 1 October 2006, Morecambe Bay PCT has been integrated into Cumbria PCT and North Lancashire PCT. Information for Cumbria PCT and North Lancashire PCT is included in the report.

Dental Services: Lancashire

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in  (a) North Lancashire NHS Trust and  (b) Morecambe Bay have NHS patients.

Ann Keen: Information on private dentists is not collected centrally.
	The numbers of dentists on open national health service contracts are available in Table G of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England Q4: 31 March 2007 report. Information is as at 30 June, 30 September, 31 December 2006 and 31 March 2007 and is available at strategic health authority and primary care trust (PCT) area in England.
	This report is available in the Library. It is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalq4.
	The figures for quarter 4 and the earlier quarters in the year are provisional and are subject to revision. The final workforce figure for 2006-07 will not be available until August 2007 when the Information Centre for health and social care will publish an end year report on the first 12 months of the new contractual arrangements.
	In the figures in the report, no account is taken of the level of service, if any, that each dentist provides.
	As from 1 October 2006, Morecambe Bay PCT has been integrated into Cumbria PCT and North Lancashire PCT. Information for Cumbria PCT and North Lancashire PCT is included in the above report.

Departments: Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the final settlement letter his Department received from HM Treasury as part of the 2002 Spending Review process.

Ben Bradshaw: No. Publishing Spending Review papers would be prejudicial to the conduct of public affairs.

Departments: Flint Bishop Solicitors

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made payments to Flint Bishop Solicitors since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: After looking into both of our financial databases which cover financial years 2001-02 to date, we can find no evidence that the firm in question was ever entered on to our systems to received payments from the Department.

Departments: Visits Abroad

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas visits were made by  (a) officials and  (b) Ministers within his responsibility, and at what cost, in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Since 1999, the Government have published on an annual basis, a list of all overseas visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of 500, as well as the total cost of all ministerial travel overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Library. Information for 2006-07 is currently being compiled and will be published before the summer recess. All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.

Doctors: Training

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations his Department has received from doctors on problems with  (a) Modernising Medical Careers and  (b) the Medical Training Application Service.

Ann Keen: The Department has received representations concerning the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) programme.
	The Department has also met with many stakeholders. In the light of the widespread concern an independent review of the MMC recruitment and selection process was set up; led by Professor Neil Douglas, vice chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Members of the review group included representatives of the Royal Colleges, the British Medical Association, the four United Kingdom Health Departments and NHS Employers.

Epilepsy

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Welsh Assembly Health Minister on the Commissioning Directive on Epilepsy Services developed in response to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Sentinel Clinical Audit of Epilepsy.

Ann Keen: We have had no discussions with the Welsh Assembly Health Minister on this matter.

Exercise: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on promoting physical activity among children in each of the last 10 years; and which projects have been funded.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department and the national health service promote the benefits of physical activity in many ways to professionals, the public and other stakeholders. This complements investment across government to encourage and enable healthy active lifestyles, for example through the physical educations, schools sport and club links programme.
	In particular, primary care trusts are required to have systematic and managed health promotion programmes, including action on exercise, that are responsive to local needs. Spending on the promotion of sport and physical recreation by the NHS is not recorded centrally.
	Alongside spending by the NHS to support local delivery of physical activity programmes for adults and children, the Department has funded pilot work to inform interventions. This has included:
	the local exercise action pilot scheme (LEAP), which has been jointly funded by the Department, Sport England and the Countryside Agency with an overall cost of 2.5 million between 2003 and 2006. The LEAP pilots included interventions targeted towards children, adults and older people.
	a joint Department of Health, Department for Education and Skills, and Youth Sport Trust pilot programme Schools on the Move, which includes resource materials for schools, teachers and young people to help integrate pedometers into the life of the school. The Department has invested 100,000 in the pilot during 2005 and 2006.
	National programmes to promote physical activity arising out of this pilot work include a 494,000 school pedometer programme, distributing 40,000 pedometers to 250 schools in deprived areas to encourage children to become more active, and enabling all schools to access resources to support increased physical activity.
	The Public Health White Paper Choosing Health included a commitment to develop continuing professional programmes for schools to support physical activity and we have invested 160,000 in a schools physical activity guide as part of the healthy schools toolkit.
	The Secretary of State for Health, through the Section 64 General Scheme of Grants (S64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968), has power to make grants to voluntary organisations in England whose activities support the Department of Health's policy priorities.
	The Department has provided funding to physical activity based programmes under the Section 64 Scheme to the following organisations:
	Sustrans;
	Amateur Swimming Association;
	English Federation of Disability Sport;
	National Heart Forum; and
	British Trust for Conservation Volunteers.
	Delivery of programmes to encourage children and young people to lead healthy active lifestyles extends beyond the remit of any single government department.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport share a public service agreement (PSA) target to increase the percentage of 5 to 16-year-olds spending at least two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport.
	The Government are investing 1.5 billion, including lottery funding, in the five years to 2008 in support of this target and on 13 July the Prime Minister announced a 100 million campaign to give every child the chance of five hours of sport every week in the run up to 2012.
	The Government are also investing in walking and cycling to school. DCSF and the Department for Transport are providing 7.5 million to fund a network of school travel advisers to develop and implement school travel plans. By March 2005 more than 10,000 schools had developed approved travel plans, and 55 million in capital grants has been given to schools to spend on items such as secure bike shelters and new entrances.
	In March 2006 the BIG Lottery fund launched the 155 million Children's Play initiative in England.

Family Planning

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of provision of family planning services by primary care trusts;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to implement the recommendations of the baseline review of contraceptive services.

Dawn Primarolo: We have undertaken a Baseline Review of Contraceptive Services 2005 (Contraceptive Services Audit) and published the findings on the 17 May 2007. We are developing best practice guidance on reproductive health care which will address the key issues arising from the review later this year.
	A copy of the findings of the review has been placed in the Library. The findings are also available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_074794.pdf

Fluoride: Drinking Water

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the promotion of fluoridated water supplies following the passing of the Water Act 2003.

Ann Keen: The fluoridation of water has the potential to reduce inequalities in oral health. We are aware of three strategic health authorities that are undertaking feasibility studies on fluoridation schemes. They will make formal announcements if they decide to proceed with local consultations.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many primary care trusts reduced their spending on community sexual health services from the amounts initially allocated in the 2006-07 financial year.

Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Waiting Lists

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times are for community sexual health clinics.

Dawn Primarolo: Sexual health services are provided in a variety of settings including acute national health service trusts, community services and general practice.
	Currently data on waiting times are only collected from genito-urinary medicine clinics. Data from the genito-urinary medicine monthly monitoring return showed that in May 2007 85 per cent. of first attendances were offered an appointment to be seen within 48 hours of contacting a service.

Health: Schools

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of school children spent at least two hours a week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum; and whether the target of 75 per cent. for such performance set in the Choosing Health paper has been achieved.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The 2005/06 School Sport Survey found that overall, 80 per cent. of pupils in schools within a school sport partnership took part in at least two hours of high quality PE and school sport in a typical weekexceeding the 2006 PSA target of 75 per cent.

Hepatitis

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of  (a) hepatitis A,  (b) typhoid and  (c) hepatitis B were diagnosed in each month since January 2001.

Dawn Primarolo: The latest available information, which is by quarter and calendar year, is shown in the tables.
	
		
			  Laboratory reports of hepatitis A infection in England and Wales, 2001-05 
			   Quarter  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 January-March 1 239 260 303 224 129 
			 April-June 2 195 335 247 137 123 
			 July-September 3 186 365 260 142 135 
			 October-December 4 176 397 218 168 73 
			 Total  796 1,357 1,028 671 460 
		
	
	
		
			  Laboratory reports of acute hepatitis B infection in England and Wales, 2001-03( 1) 
			   Quarter  2001  2002  2003 
			 January-March 1 160 204 219 
			 April-June 2 140 240 193 
			 July-September 3 159 221 178 
			 October-December 4 142 257 162 
			 Total  601 922 752 
			 (1) In England and Wales acute hepatitis B cases are reported to the Health Protection Agency. In 2004, there was a substantial deterioration in the quality of acute hepatitis B reporting and since 2004 data have not been available. The Health Protection Agency is working to improve the quality of information on acute hepatitis B reporting and provisional data should be available from the start of 2007 later this year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Laboratory reports of Salmonella typhi (causative agent of typhoid) in England and Wales, 2001-06 
			   Quarter  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 January-March 1 36 27 42 41 42 61 
			 April-June 2 42 43 77 57 65 55 
			 July-September 3 59 42 49 56 52 83 
			 October-December 4 43 34 35 53 73 49 
			 Total  180 146 203 207 232 248 
			  Source: Health Protection Agency (HPA)

Home Care Services: Oxygen

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on the new domiciliary oxygen service in  (a) England,  (b) each strategic health authority and  (c) each health trust in its first year of operation.

Dawn Primarolo: The new domiciliary oxygen service started on 1 February 2006. The first full year operational costs relate to 2006-07. These details are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Domiciliary Oxygen Service: 2006-07 
			   Total expenditure (000) 
			  England 71,786,157 
			   
			  Strategic health authority (SHA)  
			 North East SHA 7,135,372 
			 North West SHA 9,606,498 
			 Yorkshire And The Humber SHA 6,561,058 
			 East Midlands SHA 5,518,053 
			 West Midlands SHA 7,767,896 
			 East of England SHA 10,762,053 
			 London SHA 7,265,996 
			 South East Coast SHA 4,873,611 
			 South Central SHA 4,361,402 
			 South West SHA 7,934,217 
			   
			  Primary care trust  
			 Ashton, Leigh and Wigan 422,298 
			 Barking and Dagenham 364,217 
			 Barnet 346,003 
			 Barnsley 406,828 
			 Bassetlaw 168,147 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 264,958 
			 Bedfordshire 654,732 
			 Berkshire East 303,405 
			 Berkshire West 358,290 
			 Bexley Care Trust 232,273 
			 Birmingham East and North 601,560 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 214,496 
			 Blackpool 266,665 
			 Bolton 207,863 
			 Bournemouth and Poole 310,160 
			 Bradford and Airedale 798,600 
			 Brent Teaching 160,359 
			 Brighton and Hove City 275,036 
			 Bristol 853,220 
			 Bromley 271,009 
			 Buckinghamshire 493,795 
			 Bury 184,817 
			 Calderdale 202,524 
			 Cambridgeshire 849,513 
			 Camden 205,759 
			 Central and Eastern Cheshire 588,313 
			 Central Lancashire 597,722 
			 City and Hackney Teaching 232,961 
			 Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly 1,223,929 
			 County Durham 1,381,047 
			 Coventry Teaching 507,622 
			 Croydon 296,231 
			 Cumbria 472,985 
			 Darlington 256,502 
			 Derby City 215,937 
			 Derbyshire County 825,763 
			 Devon 1,012,912 
			 Doncaster 431,860 
			 Dorset 629,215 
			 Dudley 66,017 
			 Ealing 210,866 
			 East and North Hertfordshire 1,032,617 
			 East Lancashire 408,320 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 479,246 
			 East Sussex Downs and Weald 317,323 
			 Eastern and Coastal Kent 1,014,547 
			 Enfield 241,238 
			 Gateshead 360,123 
			 Gloucestershire 643,545 
			 Great Yarmouth and Waveney 577,213 
			 Greenwich Teaching 209,171 
			 Halton and St. Helens 519,985 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 143,767 
			 Hampshire 1,486,888 
			 Haringey 163,915 
			 Harrow 283,697 
			 Hartlepool 259,252 
			 Hastings and Rother 294,640 
			 Havering 440,512 
			 Heart of Birmingham 255,156 
			 Herefordshire 211,270 
			 Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale 225,334 
			 Hillingdon 261,562 
			 Hounslow 189,195 
			 Hull 670,595 
			 Isle of Wight Healthcare 142,901 
			 Islington 204,372 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 142,565 
			 Kingston 138,149 
			 Kirklees 367,750 
			 Knowsley 305,047 
			 Lambeth 293,549 
			 Leeds 813,336 
			 Leicester City 418,884 
			 Leicestershire County and Rutland 730,593 
			 Lewisham 203,040 
			 Lincolnshire 1,032,190 
			 Liverpool 946,459 
			 Luton 265,912 
			 Manchester 781,331 
			 Medway 231,405 
			 Mid Essex 723,096 
			 Middlesbrough 656,756 
			 Milton Keynes 320,505 
			 Newcastle 576,821 
			 Newham 310,662 
			 Norfolk 1,319,045 
			 North East Essex 802,791 
			 North East Lincolnshire 188,626 
			 North Lancashire 413,032 
			 North Lincolnshire 237,132 
			 North Somerset 317,200 
			 North Staffordshire 285,311 
			 North Tees 346,791 
			 North Tyneside 491,900 
			 North Yorkshire and York 719,473 
			 Northamptonshire 819,829 
			 Northumberland Care Trust 972,049 
			 Nottingham City 445,944 
			 Nottinghamshire County 860,764 
			 Oldham 219,860 
			 Oxfordshire 637,583 
			 Peterborough 442,028 
			 Plymouth 377,135 
			 Portsmouth City Teaching 211,986 
			 Redbridge 229,610 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 341,494 
			 Richmond and Twickenham 150,039 
			 Rotherham 343,028 
			 Salford 526,063 
			 Sandwell 398,363 
			 Sefton 458,618 
			 Sheffield 587,294 
			 Shropshire County 532,528 
			 Solihull 322,866 
			 Somerset 830,212 
			 South Birmingham 304,853 
			 South East Essex 661,386 
			 South Gloucestershire 327,960 
			 South Staffordshire 1,024,489 
			 South Tyneside 450,484 
			 South West Essex 866,779 
			 Southampton City 406,048 
			 Southwark 263,048 
			 Stockport 279,328 
			 Stoke on Trent 488,753 
			 Suffolk 920,331 
			 Sunderland Teaching 1,042,152 
			 Surrey 1,109,438 
			 Sutton and Merton 239,371 
			 Swindon 308,848 
			 Tameside and Glossop 246,710 
			 Telford and Wrekin 181,840 
			 Torbay Care Trust 197,726 
			 Tower Hamlets 263,986 
			 Trafford 225,639 
			 Wakefield District 314,766 
			 Walsall Teaching 503,569 
			 Waltham Forest 319,260 
			 Wandsworth 110,625 
			 Warrington 193,822 
			 Warwickshire 494,350 
			 West Essex 669,703 
			 West Hertfordshire 976,908 
			 West Kent 833,283 
			 West Sussex 797,939 
			 Western Cheshire 294,387 
			 Westminster 144,986 
			 Wiltshire 637,197 
			 Wirral 607,406 
			 Wolverhampton City 510,865 
			 Worcestershire 578,485 
			  Source: NHS Business Services Authority

Home Care Services: Oxygen

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England were dependent on a domiciliary oxygen system in their homes in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not hold information on the number of people using the home oxygen service in England prior to 2006-07, as the information collected was based on the number of oxygen cylinders dispensed, not the number of patients using the service. However, information was available on the number of patients using the oxygen concentrator service under contracts with specialist suppliers. The 2004 estimate used to support procurement of the new service was that around 60,000 patients used the service (of which 20,000 used concentrators).
	Data available from the new integrated service contract implemented from 1 February 2006 show that there are some 79,000 patients using oxygen at home.

Home Care Services: Oxygen

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average delivery time for  (a) routine and  (b) emergency oxygen supplies to outpatients (i) before and (ii) after the introduction of the new home oxygen service.

Dawn Primarolo: Prior to the introduction of the new home oxygen service on 1 February 2006, there were no explicit requirements on those providing an oxygen cylinder service or an oxygen concentrator service to deliver a service urgently or within another specified period. Therefore, no data are available to assess average delivery time prior to that date.
	The new service contract requires the service provider to meet specific response times for each oxygen service provided under the contract. These are:
	emergency or urgent supply of oxygen to be delivered within four hours of receipt of an order from a healthcare professional;
	an order supporting the discharge of a patient from hospital to be delivered on the day following receipt of the order or on a date specified by the healthcare professional in the order; and
	an order for short burst oxygen therapy, long-term oxygen therapy, or an ambulatory oxygen service to be provided within three working days of receipt of an order either from a health care professional or from the patient directly (for re-supply).
	Each supplier must meet these service requirements under the terms of the contract and delivery times are a key indicator used in monitoring supplier performance. There is no average delivery time. A supplier will either pass or fail in meeting these requirements. Current data show that suppliers are achieving around 99 per cent. compliance with this service requirement.

Hospitals: Admissions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mean length of stay was for patients admitted to hospital in each year since 1997-98  (a) in England and  (b) broken down by strategic health authority area.

Ben Bradshaw: Information has been placed in the Library.

Hospitals: Finance

Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 173-34W, on hospitals: finance, on what date in 2008 he expects the financial close of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Pembury hospital private finance initiative scheme to take place.

Ben Bradshaw: Financial close on the Pembury hospital private finance initiative scheme for Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospital NHS trust is expected by the end of March 2008.

Hospitals: West Sussex

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what knowledge  (a) the central NHS and  (b) his Department had of the hurdles for hospital services set out in the current consultation in West Sussex in advance of the commencement of the consultation.

Dawn Primarolo: Proposals for service change and consultation on those proposals is a matter for the national health service locally.
	We would expect any local proposals brought forward for consultation to have taken into account variety of issues and to be both financially and clinically viable.

Hospitals: West Sussex

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for further disposals of land at the Southlands hospital site in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.

Ben Bradshaw: The disposal of land at Southlands hospital site is a matter for the local national health service.

Influenza: Disease Control

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the paper summarising the published scientific data currently available on pre-pandemic and pandemic vaccines presented to the meeting of the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations on 14 February 2007.

Dawn Primarolo: A copy of the paper on pre-pandemic and pandemic influenza vaccines: summary of the evidence has been placed in the Library from the meeting of Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations on 14 February 2007.

Lung Diseases

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with mesothelioma in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 23 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 1997. I am replying in her absence. (150556)
	The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer registered in England are for the year 2004. Figures for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside county district, North East government office region (GOR) and England, from 1997, are given in the table below.
	
		
			  Numbers of newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma( 1)  registered in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside county district, North East GOR and England, 1997-2004. 
			   Jarrow constituency  South Tyneside county district  North East GOR  England 
			 1997 3 8 110 1,287 
			 1998 5 19 120 1,476 
			 1999 2 9 127 1,564 
			 2000 2 20 147 1,612 
			 2001 3 14 145 1,800 
			 2002 3 10 140 1,788 
			 2003 5 10 128 1,828 
			 2004 5 14 151 1,834 
			 (1) Figures selected using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD10) C45.

Members: Correspondence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay, dated 31 May, on the subject of testosterone deficiency.

Ann Keen: A reply was issued on 19 July 2007.

Mesothelioma

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for mesothelioma in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: While we do collect figures on the number of people treated for mesothelioma, we do collect figures on finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was mesothelioma.
	The requested information is detailed in the following table, these figures relate only to admitted patients and do not include any patients who are treated for mesothelioma in accident and emergency but not admitted, patients treated in an out-patient setting or patients treated in the community. The figures are not for patients, as one patient may have had more than one episode.
	
		
			  Count of finished consultant episodes where the primary diagnosis was Mesothelioma( 1)  for selected organisationsnational health service hospitals, England 
			   Finished consultant episodes 
			North east strategic health authorities  
			   South Tyneside primary care trust (5KG) as PCT of residence  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear strategic health authority (Q09) as SHA of residence  County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority (Q10) as SHA of residence  England 
			 2005-06 40 316 303 6,436 
			 2004-05 28 348 242 5,671 
			 2003-04 56 443 230 5,697 
			 2002-03 53 267 173 4,685 
			 2001-02 59 321 129 4,663 
			 2000-01 57 315 122 4,442 
			 1999-2000 58 401 121 4,155 
			 1998-99 39 373 98 3,773 
			 1997-98 11 186 69 3,075 
			 (1) The ICD-10 codes used in this analysis were as follows: C45 Mesothelioma D19 Benign neoplasm of mesothelial tissue  Notes: 1. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE): An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. 2. Ungrossed Data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). 3. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis): The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. 4. Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. 5. PCT and SHA data quality: PCT and SHA data were added to historic data-years in the HES database using 2002-03 boundaries, as a one-off exercise in 2004. The quality of the data on PCT of treatment and SHA of treatment is poor in 1996-97, 1997-98 and 1998-99, with over a third of all finished episodes having missing values in these years. Data quality of PCT of general practitioners practice and SHA of GP practice in 1997-98 and 1998-99 is also poor, with a high proportion missing values where practices changed or ceased to exist. There is less change in completeness of the residence-based fields over time, where the majority of unknown values are due to missing postcodes on birth episodes. Users of time series analysis including these years need to be aware of these issues in their interpretation of the data.  Source: HES, The Information Centre for health and social care

MRSA

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  why MRSA is not a recognised cause of death; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to adopt the recommendations of the  (a) World Health Organisation and  (b) Office of National Statistics and allow MRSA to be cited on a death certificate as a contributory factor.

Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Colin Mowl, dated 23 July 2007:
	The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your questions asking why MRSA is not a recognised cause of death and whether it will be policy to adopt the recommendations of the (a) World Health Organisation and (b) Office of National Statistics and allow MRSA to be cited on a death certificate as a contributory factor. I am replying in her absence. (150539, 150538)
	Diseases caused by infection with Meticillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus bacteria (eg MRSA septicaemia, MRSA pneumonia, MRSA wound infection etc) are recognised as causes of death and can be cited on death certificates. The Office for National Statistics publishes annual statistics on deaths certified as due to or contributed to by MRSA.
	The World Health Organisation (WHO) makes recommendations, in the International Classification of Diseases, currently in its tenth revision (ICD-10), on certification of cause of death by doctors, coding and classification of diseases, and selection of a single cause for each death for statistical purposes. The General Register Office and ONS follow ICD-10 recommendations and go further, as explained below.
	Doctors have a statutory duty, under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953, to certify the cause of death to the best of their knowledge and belief. GRO produces books of Medical Certificates of Cause of Death (MCCDs), in the format recommended by WHO, and supplies these to doctors through local registrars of births and deaths. The books include notes to doctors, based on ICD-10, on how to complete the MCCD. These ask the doctor to describe the sequence of illnesses or events that led directly to death in part I of the MCCD, ending on the last used line with the underlying cause of death. The underlying cause is defined by WHO as the disease or (external cause of) injury that initiated the morbid train of events leading directly to death. Certifiers are also asked to write in part II of the certificate any other conditions which contributed to the death but were not part of the direct sequence. WHO makes clear that the certifying doctor must use his/her clinical judgement to decide which of the conditions present at or before death contributed to the death and so should be included on the certificate.
	In addition to the notes in the front of every book of MCCDs, the ONS Death Certification Advisory Group (DCAG) published updated guidance to certifiers in ACP News and on the GRO website (www.gro.gov.uk/medcert/) in June 2005. This guidance, which is also supplied to doctors with every new book of MCCDs, includes specific advice about certifying deaths involving health care associated infections (HCAI). The Department of health's Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, in his 'CMO Update' no 42 of July 2005, which is sent to all registered doctors, drew attention to the DCAG guidance in a short article entitled 'Certifying deaths involving MRSA' http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/PublicationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/CMOUpdate/DH__4115663). These publications, from ONS/GRO and the Department of Health, make absolutely clear that doctors should include MRSA and other HCAI on the death certificate in the appropriate place if they believe that the infection was part of the direct causal sequence or contributed to the death.
	WHO recommends that the underlying cause of death is tabulated for routine mortality statistics because preventing it would prevent not just the death, but the whole period of illness leading up to death and so result in the greatest health gain. MRSA infection is often associated with health care, and so it will not usually be the underlying cause of death, which may be the disease or injury necessitating the care during which the MRSA infection was acquired. Because of the public, policy, professional and media interest in the subject of MRSA infection, ONS provides more than just routine underlying cause statistics. Using ICD-10 codes and the full text from MCCDs, ONS publishes annual figures on the number of deaths in which MRSA was mentioned anywhere on the death certificate, in addition to those where it was selected as the underlying cause of death. Figures for 2001 to 2005 were published in Health Statistics Quarterly no 33, which is available in the House of Commons library, in February 2007. Statistics based on death certificates which cited MRSA have also been quoted in answer to a number of previous Parliamentary questions and published in Hansard. In 2005 there were 1,629 death certificates that cited MRSA in England and Wales and in 29% of these (467 deaths) MRSA was the underlying cause of death.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; and what its budget is for 2007-08.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on the number of people employed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is not held by the Department. NICE is an independent body and should be contacted direct for this information. In 2007-08, NICE'S total budget is 35.05 million, of which 33,349 million was funding direct from the Department.

NHS Foundation Trusts

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of foundation hospitals whose boards met wholly in private; and what percentage this figure represents of the total number of foundation hospitals.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not hold this information. Legislation governing national health service foundation trusts allows them to open board of governors meetings to the public. There is no equivalent provision for meetings of the board of directors. The way in which these meetings are conducted is a matter for individual trusts. Directors would need to justify decisions on the conduct of their meetings with governors, who can hold directors to account for the performance of the trust and are responsible for communicating with the membership community information relating to the performance of the organisation.

NHS Trusts: Eastern Region

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse has been of  (a) early retirement and  (b) redundancy agreements for (i) chief executives and (ii) executive directors who were not reappointed following reorganisation of the primary care trusts and NHS trusts in the eastern region.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 17 July 2007
	 The costs of early retirement and redundancy payments are not collected centrally.

NHS: Cost-effectiveness

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence appraises the cost-effectiveness of the price paid for treatments by the NHS;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely impact on the NHS of the provision of a range of discounts for erythropoietin in National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 'Guide to the methods of technology appraisal', describes all aspects of appraisal methodology, including the principles and methods of health technology assessment. The Guide states that estimates of...prices for particular resources should be used consistently across appraisals, and that the Institute uses the public list price of a treatment when conducting its appraisals.
	The Guide is published on the NICE website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=201973
	NICE is currently undertaking a review of its 'Guide to the methods of technology appraisal', which underpins the technology appraisal programme. NICE expects to commence a three-month public consultation on its findings in November 2007.
	NICE's technology appraisal guidance on the use of erythropoietin analogues in the management of cancer treatment induced anaemia is due to be published in November 2007. The appraisal is being conducted in line with NICE's published methodology.

NHS: Email

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected cost is of converting the NHS e-mail system to Microsoft Exchange; and what added functions will be provided by the new system.

Ben Bradshaw: NHSmail first went live October 2004. There are over 260,000 NHSmail users registered for the national health service e-mail and directory service which is increasing every week with an average of one million messages sent or received across the NHSmail platform daily.
	Since 2004 the technological and market environment has changed significantly. A number of opportunities for technology refresh were built into the original NHSmail contract. The move to Microsoft Exchange is the first of those. The cost of the transition will not exceed the existing programme budget. Costs have been controlled partly by the licences gained through the renewal of the enterprise agreement with Microsoft and partly through the reuse of existing infrastructure.
	The move to Exchange will deliver new functionality and improved usability to NHSmail users. These include full mobile access via an extensive range of wireless devices, facilitating access to the many peripatetic workers in the NHS, full support for shared calendar use between doctors and managers, easier navigation between screens and functions, and the ability to share contacts between users. Exchange will also enable much faster recovery should any event impact one of the two data centres.
	NHSmail carries out annual user surveys, and the Exchange-based service meets all of the most common requests for change reflected in survey results.
	Other additional features are currently under consideration, such as instant messaging, which we believe will further increase the service appeal to NHS staff. As a result of this and the features described above, early contact with NHS trusts and NHS staff indicates that the transition to Exchange is likely to increase NHSmail user take-up above the current rate of 5,000 new users per month.

NHS: Finance

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the accuracy of data used to calculate local health allocations.

Ben Bradshaw: Revenue allocations to primary care trusts are informed by a fair funding formula. The formula is overseen by an independent body, the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA). ACRA's role is to ensure equity in resource allocation. In order to achieve this objective, ACRA ensures that the most up-to-date, accurate and robust data available at the time of making allocations are used in the formula.

NHS: ICT

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the future of Cerner's products and services within the NHS IT system;
	(2)  in which NHS hospitals Cerner's Millennium product is working satisfactorily; and if he will make a statement on the expected roll out programme;
	(3)  if he will make an evaluation of the effectiveness of Cerner's Millennium system.

Ben Bradshaw: Cerner is the chosen subcontractor of two of the local service providers (LSPs) under the national programme for information technology in the national health service, Fujitsu in the South and BT in London, for the provision of secondary care systems.
	In the South, six health communities have to date gone live with the Cerner Millennium system provided through the national programme. Each health community typically comprises an acute NHS trust and the associated primary care trust sites in its area. Details are provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Trust name  Total users  Peak users  Average users  Go live date 
			 Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust 880 700 450 25 September 2006 
			 Milton Keynes General Hospital NHS Trust 2,000 980 420 24 February 2007 
			 Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS Trust 900 170 130 22 December 2005 
			 Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust 2,875 620 400 20 April 2007 
			 Weston Area Health NHS Trust 1,700 1,400 450 29 July 2006 
			 Winchester and Eastleigh Healthcare NHS Trust 1,821 980 360 10 February 2007 
			 Total 10,176 4,850 2,210  
		
	
	To date, 1.4 million patient records have been entered in the systems in use in the South.
	Five further systems are planned to go live in the South during 2007, 24 in 2008, and 19 in 2009. In London, three Millennium deployments are planned in 2007, the first, at Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals Trust, due to go live before the end of July, and a further four in 2008. Go live dates in each strategic health authority (SHA) area are determined by agreement with the NHS bodies concerned.
	The Millennium system is a robust product built on modern architecture, with greater patient data security and stability than older systems. It is used in many other countries and currently has a worldwide patient base of some 100 million patients. The version of Millennium being deployed through the national programme is based on that purchased in 2005 by two London NHS hospital trusts, the Homerton, and Newham University Hospitals Trusts. This version, release 0, contains the patient administration service functionality, is compliant with Choose and Book, and has the ability to order pathology tests and radiological diagnoses, and receive the reports. Subsequent releases will include ever greater functionality, particularly clinical functionality, bringing increasing benefits to patients and those who treat them.
	Current users of the Homerton and Newham systems, who have had two years to become familiar with the system and to make local improvements, have expressed their satisfaction with the system. Further positive feedback has been received from a number of users, especially nurses.
	Though the current Millennium release version has less functionality than that of certain advanced alternative systems in some trusts, this limitation is a necessary step in building up a fully integrated secondary care system through subsequent releases. Meanwhile, NHS Connecting for Health and SHAs are working closely with the LSPs and Cerner to further develop and improve the product, its functionality, and its ease of use.

NHS: Manpower

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed in the NHS in  (a) England and  (b) Suffolk; and what percentage of each is employed in (i) management, (ii) administrative, (iii) scientific, (iv) research, (v) clinical medical, nursing and midwifery and (vi) other roles.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is shown in the table. The annual workforce census does not separately identify research staff.
	Qualified ambulance staff have been excluded as the East of England Ambulance Service Trust falls within the Suffolk region, but serves a much wider area. Consequently the number of ambulance staff in Suffolk is much higher than would be expected, which also distorts the percentages in the other staff group areas.
	
		
			  National health service staff in England and Suffolk by specified staff group, as at 30 September 2006 
			   England  Percentage  Of  which :  Suffolk  Percentage 
			 All NHS staff(1) 1,306,622 100.0 13,013 100.0 
			 Frontline Medical Staff(2) 659,017 50.4 6,324 48.6 
			  
			  of which 
			 HCHS Doctors(3) 90,243 6.9 778 6.0 
			 GMPs(4) 36,008 2.8 434 3.3 
			 Qualified Nurses (incl. Midwifery, Health Visitors and Practice Nurses) 398,269 30.5 3,820 29.4 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 134,497 10.3 1,292 9.9 
			 Qualified ambulance staff 
			 Clerical and administrative staff 219,080 16.8 1,962 15.1 
			 Managers and senior managers 35,309 2.7 293 2.3 
			 Others 393,216 30.1 4,434 34.1 
			 (1 )The figures for Suffolk are based on 2006 Primary Care Trust and trust boundaries and consists of Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, Suffolk Mental Health Partnership Trust, Suffolk PCT, West Suffolk Hospitals NHS Trust and East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust. (2 )Front line medical staff includes HCHS doctors, general medical practitioners, qualified nurses (including GP practice nurses), qualified scientific, therapeutic  technical staff and Qualified ambulance staff. (3 )Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are general practitioners (GPs) working part time in hospitals. (4 )General Medical practitioners includes GP providers, GP others, GP retainers and GP registrars.  Source:  Annual Workforce Census

NHS: Manpower

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed in the NHS in  (a) England and  (b) West Sussex; and what percentage of each is employed in (i) management, (ii) administrative, (iii) scientific, (iv) research, (v) clinical medical, nursing and midwifery and (vi) other roles.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS staff in England and West Sussex( 1)  by specified staff group, as at 30 September 2006 
			  Number (headcount) 
			 O f which: 
			   England  Percentage  West Sussex  Percentage 
			 All NHS staff 1,338,779 100.0 29,263 100.0 
			 Frontline medical staff(2) 675,260 50.4 15,261 52.2 
			  of which: 
			 HCHS doctors(3) 90,243 6.7 2,075 7.1 
			 GMPs(4) 36,008 2.7 569 1.9 
			 Qualified nurses (incl. midwifery, health visitors and practice nurses) 398,335 29.8 8,502 29.1 
			 Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff 134,498 10.0 2,558 8.7 
			 Qualified ambulance staff 16,176 1.2 1,557 5.3 
			 Clerical and administrative staff 224,302 16.8 4,925 16.8 
			 Managers and senior managers 36,751 2.7 807 2.8 
			 Others 402,466 30.1 8,270 28.3 
			 (1) The figures for West Sussex are based on 2006 primary care trust and trust boundaries and consists of Brighton and Sussex university hospitals NHS trust, Queen Victoria hospital NHS trust, Royal West Sussex NHS trust, Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS trust, Sussex Partnership NHS trust, Worthing and Southlands hospitals NHS trust, West Sussex PCT and South East Coast ambulance service NHS trust (2) Front line medical staff includes HCHS doctors, general medical practitioners, qualified nurses (including GP practice nurses), qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff and qualified ambulance staff (3) Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part-time in hospitals (4) General medical practitioners includes GP providers, GP others, GP retainers and GP registrars.  Sources: The Information Centre Non-Medical, Medical and Dental and General and Personal Medical Services Censuses

NHS: Parking

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the provision of car parking facilities for NHS staff who  (a) work at NHS sites and  (b) visit people in their homes.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has provided advice to the national health service, in Health Technical Memorandum 07-03 Transport management and car parking, about the provision of car parking through the development of transport management plans. A copy is available in the Library.
	Specific arrangements for the provision of car parking facilities for NHS staff will ultimately be determined at local level; will be dependent on local authority planning approval; and will be dependent on the needs of staff, patients and visitors alike.
	Parking facilities for health care professionals who visit people in their own home are similarly governed by local circumstances and availability.

Obesity

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the  (a) obesity and  (b) smoking rate in (i) England, (ii) Hampshire and (iii) Southampton.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested. The latest data on obesity prevalence is available from the 2005 Health Survey for England (HSE). Table 1 shows the prevalence of obesity among men and women aged 16 and over in England in 2005.
	Data on prevalence of obesity is not available for Hampshire. However, from the HSE we can provide the percentages of obesity among adults, aged 16 and over, for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority, for the combined years 2002-04. This information is shown in table 2.
	Information on obesity prevalence in Southampton is not available. However estimated prevalence of obesity among adults, aged 16 and over, along with associated confidence intervals are provided for the wards in the Southampton local authority (LA). These estimates, for the combined years 2000-02, are taken from the synthetic estimates of healthy lifestyle behaviours and are shown in table 3.
	Data on the percentage of adults, aged 16 and over, who smoke are available from the 2005 general household survey. The data are not available for Hampshire, however they are available by Government office region (GOR). Data are provided on the percentage of adults who smoke in England and in the South East GOR, which incorporates Hampshire, in table 4.
	Information for Southampton's smoking prevalence is not available. However, estimated prevalence of adult smokers aged 16 and over, along with associated confidence intervals are provided for the wards in the Southampton LA. These estimates are also taken from the Synthetic Estimates of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours. These estimates are for the combined years 2000-02, and are shown in table 5.
	
		
			  Table 1: Prevalence of obesity among adults, by gender, 2005( 1) , England 
			   Percentage/Number 
			 Men 22.1 
			 Women 24.3 
			   
			  Bases (unweighted)  
			 Men 2,930 
			 Women 3,409 
			   
			  Bases (weighted)  
			 Men 3,144 
			 Women 3,184 
			 (1) Data are weighted for non-response.   Source: Health Survey for England 2005updating of trend tables to include 2005 data. The Information Centre. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Prevalence of obesity for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Strategic Health Authority (SHA), 2002-04( 1) 
			  Percentage 
			   Obese( 2)  (BMI over 30)  Unweighted base  Adjusted base( 2) 
			 Hampshire and Isle of Wight 21.3 845 1,307 
			 (1) Samples have not been weighted for non-response or selection. (2) Figures are adjusted so that each year is given an equal weight.   Source: Health Survey for England 2002, 2003. The Department of Health. Health Survey for England 2004. The Information Centre. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Estimated prevalence of obesity among adults, by ward in the Southampton local authority area, 2000-02 
			  Percentage 
			  Southampton local authority  Estimated prevalence of obesity  95% lower confidence interval  95% upper confidence interval  Comparison of estimated prevalence for obesity with national estimate( 1) 
			 Bargate 18.3 12.4 25.7 2 
			 Bassett 18.0 12.4 25.3 2 
			 Bevois 19.3 13.2 26.9 2 
			 Bitterne 26.6 19.0 35.7 2 
			 Bitterne Park 21.3 15.0 29.4 2 
			 Coxford 24.9 17.8 33.8 2 
			 Freemantle 18.4 12.7 25.7 2 
			 Harefield 23.7 16.9 32.3 2 
			 Millbrook 22.9 16.2 31.4 2 
			 Peartree 22.3 15.8 30.5 2 
			 Portswood 17.0 11.6 24.0 2 
			 Redbridge 25.9 18.5 34.9 2 
			 Shirley 20.2 14.2 27.9 2 
			 Sholing 23.1 16.4 31.5 2 
			 Swaythling 20.4 14.0 28.3 2 
			 Woolston 24.3 17.2 32.9 2 
			 (1) It should be noted that the scores for comparing the synthetic estimate to the national estimate relate to the data as follows: 1=CI significantly below NE, 2=overlapping, 3=CI significantly above NE. The national estimate is derived directly from the Health Surveys for England 2000-02 (with associated confidence intervals) and therefore is not a model-based estimate.  Source: Synthetic Estimates of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours at ward level, 2000-02. The Information Centre, Neighbourhood Statistics 2005. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 4: Prevalence of cigarette smoking in South East GOR and England, 2005( 1,2) 
			  Percentage 
			   All adults  Weighted bases (000s)  Unweighted bases 
			 South East GOR 22 6,015 3,163 
			 England 24 35,936 18,613 
			 (1) Among adults aged 16 and over.  (2) 2005 data includes last quarter of 2004-05 data due to survey change from financial to calendar year.   Source: General Household Survey 2005. Office for National Statistics. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 5: Estimated prevalence of smoking among adults, by ward in the Southampton local authority area, 2000-02 
			  Percentage 
			  Southampton local authority  Estimated prevalence of smoking  95  per cent.  lower confidence interval  95 per cent.  upper confidence interval  Comparison of estimated prevalence of smoking with national estimate( 1) 
			 Bargate 37.7 24.1 53.3 2 
			 Bassett 20.4 12.0 32.3 2 
			 Bevois 33.4 21.0 48.5 2 
			 Bitterne 38.9 25.4 54.4 2 
			 Bitterne Park 26.3 16.1 39.9 2 
			 Coxford 36.1 23.2 51.4 2 
			 Freemantle 31.8 19.9 46.6 2 
			 Harefield 33.1 20.8 48.1 2 
			 Millbrook 37.1 24.0 52.6 2 
			 Peartree 29.5 18.3 43.7 2 
			 Portswood 28.0 17.1 42.0 2 
			 Redbridge 40.1 26.3 55.5 2 
			 Shirley 24.6 14.9 37.6 2 
			 Sholing 29.0 18.0 43.2 2 
			 Swaythling 37.4 23.9 52.7 2 
			 Woolston 35.2 22.5 50.3 2 
			 (1) It should be noted that the scores for comparing the synthetic estimate to the national estimate relate to the data as follows: 1=CI significantly below NE, 2=overlapping, 3=CI significantly above NE. The national estimate is derived directly from the Health Surveys for England 2000-02 (with associated confidence intervals) and therefore is not a model-based estimate.  Source: Synthetic Estimates of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours at ward level, 2000-02, The Information Centre, Neighbourhood Statistics 2007.

Obesity: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of children classified as  (a) overweight and  (b) obese by the age of three years (i) at the present time and (ii) in 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the exact format requested. Data on children's overweight and obesity prevalence are taken from the Health Survey for England. We can provide the prevalence of children aged two to three who are overweight or obese in England in 2002-04 combined. Data are aggregated over three years, 2002, 2003 and 2004 to achieve a sufficiently large sample for analysis at this level. These data are shown in table 1 and are published in 'Statistics on Obesity, Physical Activity and Diet, England 2006'. Copies are available in the Library and at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/obesity/statistics-on-obesity-physical-activity-and-diet-england-2006.
	We can also provide the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children aged two to 10, from 1997 to 2005. Data for 2005 are the latest data available. These data are shown in table 2 and are published in the 'Health Survey for EnglandUpdating of trend tables to include 2005 data', and at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/health-survey-for-england/health-survey-for-england--updating-of-trend-tables-to-include-2005-data.
	
		
			  Table 1:  Overweight and obesity prevalence among children aged two to three, 2002-04( 1)  England 
			  Percentage 
			 Obese 11.6 
			 Overweight including obese 25.2 
			   
			 Base (unweighted) 1,130 
			 Base (weighted) 1,232 
			 (1) Data are aggregated over three years, 2002, 2003 and 2004 to achieve a sufficiently large sample for analysis at this level.  Source: Health Survey for England 2002, 2003. The Department of Health Health Survey for England 2004. The Information Centre 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Overweight and obesity prevalence among children aged two to 10, 1997 to 2005, England 
			  Percentage 
			 Unweighted( 1)  Weighted 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2003  2004  2005 
			 Overweight 12.5 13.6 13.8 12.6 14.8 13.2 14.0 14.2 14.3 14.0 14.7 14.2 
			 Obese 10.9 11.6 14.6 12.0 13.1 15.5 13.7 14.3 16.7 13.8 14.5 16.8 
			 Overweight including obese 23.4 25.2 28.4 24.6 27.9 28.7 27.7 28.5 30.9 27.8 29.1 31.0 
			  
			 Bases (weighted) 4,089 2,552 1,262 1,094 2,129 4,654 1,774 759 1,419 1,736 726 1,338 
			 (1) From 2003 data were also weighted for non response. Data weighted for child selection only are provided for consistency with previous years.  Source: Health Survey for EnglandUpdating of trend tables to include 2005 data

Ovarian Cancer: Medical Treatments

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what appraisal the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has carried out on treatments for ovarian cancer.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued technology appraisal guidance on the use of paclitaxel for ovarian cancer (updated in January 2003) and on the use of topotecan, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin hydrochloride (PLDH) and paclitaxel for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer (May 2005).

Physiotherapy

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of physiotherapists the NHS in England will need to employ in each of the next three financial years.

Ben Bradshaw: Workforce planning is a matter for local determination. It is for local workforce planners to determine the physiotherapy needs of their local population with appropriate support from the workforce review team (WRT), national workforce projects and NHS Employers.
	Projected estimates on the future number of physiotherapists are published on the WRT website:
	www.healthcareworkforce.nhs.uk/workforce_review_team/

Ritalin

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were prescribed a methylphenidate in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: We do not collect that information centrally. Data are, however, available on the number of prescriptions for central nervous system stimulants and drugs used for attention deficit hyperactive disorder including methylphenidate (Ritalin) dispensed to children under 16 years and those aged 16 to 18 years in full-time education.
	The following table gives numbers of prescriptions by age.
	
		
			  Financial year  Items under 16  Items 16 to 18 in full-time education 
			 1996-97 48,264 2,058 
			 1997-98 86,247 3,388 
			 1998-99 112,294 4,596 
			 1999-2000 144,894 7,698 
			 2000-01 171,244 7,873 
			 2001-02 200,202 9,225 
			 2002-03 247,115 11,935 
			 2003-04 289,009 17,218 
			 2004-05 338,909 24,906 
			 2005-06 379,334 31,694 
			 2006-07 454,797 40,339

Royal Brompton Hospital: Clostridium

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of clostridium difficile in the Royal Brompton hospital was in each of the last three years, broken down by age category of patient.

Ann Keen: The data requested are not available. Mandatory surveillance for Clostridium difficile infection in people aged 65 years and over commenced in January 2004 and covers acute national health service trusts in England rather that individual hospitals.
	Reported figures for the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital NHS Trust are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of reported cases of Clostridium difficile 
			  January to December each year  The Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital NHS Trust 
			 2004 25 
			 2005 21 
			 2006 14 
			  Source: HPA

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the long-term effects of the school free fruit and vegetable programme.

Dawn Primarolo: An initial evaluation of the school fruit and vegetable scheme was carried out in November 2004. At that stage the children who participated in the evaluation had only been receiving free fruit and vegetables since June 2004. The results provided a useful insight into the initial impact of the scheme but it was recognised that further work would need to be undertaken to measure the impact of the scheme over a longer period. In 2006 we commissioned a further evaluation of the school fruit and vegetable scheme. The report of the further evaluation will be published shortly.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme: Expenditure

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the free fruit and vegetable programme in schools in each year since it was introduced.

Dawn Primarolo: The lottery provided 16 million towards the original pilots of the National School Fruit Scheme between 2000 and 2002. Lottery funding also provided 42 million to support scaling-up of the original pilots across five Government regions between 2002 and 2004.
	The Department spent 0.75 million in 2001-02 and 0.3 million in 2002-03 on administering and evaluating the national school fruit scheme pilots.
	The national rollout to all local education authority infant, primary and special schools across England of the scheme was completed at the end of 2004 and in the year 2004-05 the Department spent 28.5 million on the scheme.
	From April 2005 the Department has fully funded the school fruit and vegetable. The cost of the scheme in 2005-06 was 37.83 million and 36.77 million in 2006-07.
	As the scheme has developed we have been able to achieve efficiencies in the overall administration of the scheme and the supply and distribution of the fruit and vegetables which has resulted in spending on the scheme reducing over the last year.

Simvastatin

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has produced on the use of statins; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published technology appraisal guidance on Cardiovascular Disease  Statins in January 2006. This guidance has been placed in the Library and is available on NICE's website at www.guidance.nice.org.uk/TA94

Smoking

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of the population of  (a) Hampshire,  (b) England and  (c) Southampton that smoke, broken down by (i) sex, (ii) age, (iii) religion and (iv) NHS trust.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested. Data on the percentage of adults, aged 16 and over, who smoke are available from the 2005 General Household Survey (GHS), and are available by Government office region (GOR). Data are provided on the percentage of men and women, aged 16 and over, who smoke in the South East GOR which incorporates Hampshire. This information is given in table 1. The sample sizes are too small at GOR level to break down by age.
	Data on the percentage of adult smokers, aged 16 and over, in England is also available from the 2005 (GHS). These are broken down by gender and age and are provided in table 2.
	Data on smoking prevalence collected from surveys are not available level by religion or by national health service trust.
	Information for Southampton's smoking prevalence is not available. However, the estimated prevalence of adult smokers, aged 16 and over, along with associated confidence intervals are provided for the wards in the Southampton local authority. These estimates are taken from the Synthetic Estimates of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours and are published on the Neighbourhood Statistics website, available at:
	neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/Download1.do
	These estimates are for the combined years 2000-02 and are shown in table 3. This information is not available broken down by gender, age, religion or NHS trust.
	
		
			  Table 1: Prevalence of cigarette smoking in South East GOR, by gender, 2005( 1,2) 
			  South East GOR  Percentage 
			 All adults 22 
			 Men 24 
			 Women 21 
			   
			  Weighted bases (thousand)  
			 All adults 6,015 
			 Men 2,849 
			 Women 3,166 
			   
			  Unweighted bases  
			 All adults 3,163 
			 Men 1,485 
			 Women 1,678 
			 (1) Among adults aged 16 and over (2) 2005 data include last quarter of 2004-05 data due to survey change from financial to calendar year  Source: General Household Survey 2005. Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Prevalence of cigarette smoking, by gender and age, 2005( 1,2) England 
			  Percentage 
			   All adults  16-19  20-24  25-34  35-49  50-59  60 and over 
			 All adults 24 25 32 31 27 24 13 
			 Men 25 23 34 33 29 25 14 
			 Women 22 27 29 29 25 23 13 
			 
			  Weighted bases ( T housand)
			 All adults 35,936 1,940 2,607 5,948 9,869 5,897 9,675 
			 Men 16,834 993 1,186 2,843 4,559 2,859 4,394 
			 Women 19,102 947 1,421 3,105 5,311 3,038 5,281 
			 
			  Unweighted bases
			 All adults 18,613 896 1,152 2,957 5,118 3,127 5,363 
			 Men 8,663 449 502 1,367 2,341 1,509 2,495 
			 Women 9,950 447 650 1,590 2,777 1,618 2,868 
			 (1) Among Adults aged 16 and over (2) 2005 data include last quarter of 2004-05 data due to survey change from financial to calendar year  Source: General Household Survey 2005. Office for National Statistics 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Estimated prevalence of smoking among adults, by ward in the Southampton local authority area, 2000-02 
			  Percentage 
			   Estimated prevalence of smoking  95 per cent. lower confidence interval  95 per cent. upper confidence level  Comparison of estimated prevalence for smoking with national estimate 
			 Bargate 37.7 24.1 53.3 2 
			 Bassett 20.4 12.0 32.3 2 
			 Bevois 33.4 21.0 48.5 2 
			 Bitterne 38.9 25.4 54.4 2 
			 Bitterne Park 26.3 16.1 39.9 2 
			 Coxford 36.1 23.2 51.4 2 
			 Freemantle 31.8 19.9 46.6 2 
			 Harefield 33.1 20.8 48.1 2 
			 Millbrook 37.1 24.0 52.6 2 
			 Peartree 29.5 18.3 43.7 2 
			 Portswood 28.0 17.1 42.0 2 
			 Redbridge 40.1 26.3 55.5 2 
			 Shirley 24.6 14.9 37.6 2 
			 Sholing 29.0 18.0 43.2 2 
			 Swaythling 37.4 23.9 52.7 2 
			 Woolston 35.2 22.5 50.3 2 
			 (1) It should be noted that the scores for comparing the synthetic estimate to the national estimate relate to the data as follows:  1 = CI significantly below NE, 2 = Overlapping,  3 = CI significantly above NE. The national estimate is derived directly from the Health Surveys for England 2000-02 (with associated Confidence Intervals) and therefore is not a model-based estimate.  Source: Synthetic Estimates of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours at ward Level, 2000-02. The Information Centre, Neighbourhood Statistics 2005

Smoking: Health Hazards

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on treating patients with smoking-related illnesses in Hereford constituency in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not centrally collected.

West Sussex Primary Care Trust: Finance

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is of the West Sussex Primary Care Trust Fit for the Future hospital reconfiguration consultation.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not held centrally but can be obtained from West Sussex Primary Care Trust.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library the guidance issued by his Department to local authorities in each month since January 2005 on the establishment of academies; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: A large number of publications issued by my Department to local authorities include guidance on academies. The most recent specific guidance to local authorities on academies is included in '400 AcademiesProspectus for Sponsors and Local Authorities' (ISBN: 1-84478-682-X) published in May 2007. Copies of this have been placed in the Library.

Academies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what value for money assessment of academies has been  (a) completed and  (b) planned; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The National Audit Office has examined whether the academies programme is able to meet its objectives and to deliver value for money. Its report 'The Academies Programme' was prepared under section 6 of the National Audit Act 1983 for presentation to the House of Commons in accordance with section 9 of the Act, and was published on 23 February 2007. The report examined whether the academies programme was able to meet its objectives and to deliver value for money, and concluded that:
	Given the progress made by most academies so far in improving the quality of education for their pupils, the academies programme is on track to deliver good value for money.
	Academies are a key element of the drive to raise standards; raising aspirations and creating opportunity in some of the most disadvantaged communities in the country. There are no current plans for further value for money reviews of the programme.

Academies: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what financial provision for academies has been made for each year from 2005-06 to 2012-13 in his Department's budget; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The following table details the financial provision for academies for each of the years in question where such provision is known.
	Budgets for subsequent years will depend on the final allocation of the Department's comprehensive spending review settlement.
	
		
			   million 
			   Revenue  Capital 
			 2005-06 (1)145.5 (1)251.7 
			 2006-07 (1)265.8 (1)385.7 
			 2007-08 (2)565.0 (3)517.0 
			 (1) Actual outturn (2) Estimated outturn (3) Current baseline

Adoption: Standards

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect of the targets on adoption on the numbers of children remaining with their birth families.

Kevin Brennan: A national adoption target was announced in 2000 to increase the number of adoptions of looked after children by 40 per cent. by the year ending March 2005, and to exceed this by achieving, if possible, a 50 per cent. increase by the end of March 2006.
	The target related to children who were already looked after.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families collects statistics on the number of adoptions of Looked After Children in England. Relevant information is published in the document Children Looked After By Local Authorities Year Ending March 2006 which is available at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/VOL/v000721/index.shtml.

Babies: Care Proceedings

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children under the age of one had care proceedings initiated for them in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: Information on the initiation of care proceedings is not collected centrally. The information provided in the table relates to the number of children looked after who became subject to a care order and were aged under one year old at the time the care order became effective.
	
		
			  Children looked after during years ending 31 March, 2004, 2005, 2006 aged under 1 year old who became subject to a care order( 1, 2, 3 ) :  England 
			  Number 
			   Year ending 31 March 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			 Number of children aged under one year 3,000 3,100 3,100 
			 (1) Figures include children who started to be looked after during the year as a result of a care order being granted and children who started to be looked after under any other legal status, including Section 20 of the Children Act, and subsequently became subject to a care order during the year. (2) To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Historical data may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments and corrections sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials.  Source: SSDA903

Building Schools for the Future Programme

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent estimate he has made of the  (a) annual and  (b) net present value costs of the Building Schools for the Future programme in each year between 2003-04 and 2020-21; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Currently we are investing around 2.2 billion a year through the Building Schools for the Future programme. An announcement about the level of investment over the next spending period 2008-09 to 2010-11 will be made later this year. Beyond that, future levels of investment will depend on the outcome of future spending decisions. My Department has made no estimate of the net present value of costs.

Children in Care

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have been  (a) in care and  (b) taken into care in each year since 1990-91; if he will place in the Library a breakdown of the reasons why children went into care; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The number of children who were looked after during the years ending 31 March 1991 to 2006 is shown in table 1.
	The number of children who were taken into care during the years ending 31 March 2002 to 2006 is shown in table 2.
	Children taken into care are children who started to be looked after under the following legal statuses: interim or full care orders, and police protection or emergency protection or child assessment orders. They exclude children freed for adoption or for whom a placement order was granted, they exclude children under voluntary accommodation and they also exclude children under youth justice legal statuses.
	The remaining information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table 1: All children( 1)  looked after at 31 March, 1991-2006( 1,2) , England 
			   Number 
			 1991(3) 59,800 
			 1992(3) 55,500 
			 1993(3) 51,200 
			 1994(3) 49,500 
			 1995(3) 49,900 
			 1996(3) 50,800 
			 1997(3) 51,400 
			 1998(4) 53,300 
			 1999(4) 55,500 
			 2000(4) 58,100 
			 2001(4) 58,900 
			 2002(4) 59,700 
			 2003(4) 60,800 
			 2004(3) 61,200 
			 2005(3) 60,900 
			 2006(3) 60,300 
			 (1) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (2) Historical data may differ from older publications. In previous years' publications, this table used data from CLA100. To be consistent with tables elsewhere, data in this publication are now taken from the SSDA903 throughout, and the breakdowns may therefore differ slightly from figures in previous publications. (3) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which in 1990-91 to 1996-97, 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 covered all looked after children. (4) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 one-third sample survey. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Looked after children taken into care during the years ending 31 March 2002 to 2006( 1,2,3,4,5,6,7) , England 
			  Number 
			   2002( 3)  2003( 3)  2004( 2)  2005( 2)  2006( 2) 
			 England 7,400 8,100 7,500 7,700 7,600 
			 (1) Figures exclude children looked after under an agreed series of short term placements. (2) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 return which in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 covered all looked after children. (3) Figures are taken from the SSDA903 one-third sample survey. (4) Only the first occasion on which a child was taken into care in the year has been counted. (5) Children taken into care are children who started to be looked after under the following legal statuses: interim or full care orders, and police protection or emergency protection or child assessment orders. They exclude children freed for adoption or for whom a placement order was granted, they exclude children under voluntary accommodation and they also exclude children under youth justice legal statuses. (6) Historical figures may differ from older publications. This is mainly due to the implementation of amendments sent by some local authorities after the publication date of previous materials. (7) To maintain the confidentiality of each individual child, data at national level are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 or to the nearest 10 otherwise.

Children in Care: Care Homes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many looked after children are accommodated in independent children's homes;
	(2)  how many independent children's homes have been registered in each of the last five years;
	(3)  how many independent children's homes have been de-registered in each of the last five years; and for what reasons.

Kevin Brennan: Data on the number of looked after children who are accommodated in independent children's homes are not available from the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).
	Data on the number of independent children's homes that have been (a) registered and (b) de-registered in each of the last five years are not held centrally by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

Children in Care: Care Homes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average annual cost is of housing a looked after child in an independent children's home.

Kevin Brennan: The average annual cost of a placement for a looked after child in an independent children's home in England for 2005-06 (the latest year for which figures are available) was 120,000.

Children in Care: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many newborn babies were taken into care in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: The number of newborn babies, aged seven days or less, taken into care in England for year ending 31 March 2006 was 670. Of these, 10 were the responsibility of East Sussex local authority. The corresponding number for Eastbourne is unknown as information is collected at local authority level.

Children in Care: East Sussex

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what representations he received on the number of newborn babies taken into care in  (a) Eastbourne and  (b) East Sussex in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Children: Adoption

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children have been adopted in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age.

Kevin Brennan: Statistical information on the total number of adoptions in England and Wales by age of child for the years 1995-2005 is included in table 6.2b in the Statistics Series Marriage, divorce and adoptions, volume FM2, published by the Office for National Statistics. A copy of this publication is available in the House Library and on the National Statistics website at
	www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/FM2no32/FM2_32.pdf
	Statistics for 2006 have not yet been published.

Children: Care Orders

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of children subject to a care order attend  (a) a community school,  (b) a foundation school,  (c) a specialist school,  (d) a city technology college,  (e) an academy,  (f) a community or foundation special school,  (g) a faith school and  (h) a grammar school.

Kevin Brennan: The information requested is not available.
	We are determined to improve outcomes for all children in care. Our recent White Paper Care Matters: Time for Change sets out specific proposals to improve their education. This includes: a 500 educational allowance for children in care at risk of falling behind at school; putting the 'designated teacher' on a statutory footing to improve the expertise in schools; appointing 'virtual school heads' to oversee their education; improving attendance and reducing exclusions; reducing mobility of school placements, particularly in the crucial years before GCSEs; and a bursary of a minimum of 2000 for all children in care who go on to university.
	These proposals build on the measures already in place: a specific duty on local authorities to promote the educational achievement of children in care and a requirement to give them the highest priority in school admission arrangements.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in what circumstances sensitive material, as defined by the Data Protection Act 1998, will appear on the ContactPoint database.

Kevin Brennan: ContactPoint will not hold detailed case information. In addition to basic identifying information for the child or young person, it will hold only contact details for the parent or carer, and for practitioners providing services to a child or young person. In the case of sensitive servicesdefined as sexual health, mental health or substance abusepractitioner contact details will only be added to ContactPoint with informed, explicit consent. ContactPoint will also have the facility for practitioners to indicate to others if they are a lead professional and have undertaken a common assessment, in relation to a child or young person.
	ContactPoint has developed a strong, collaborative relationship with the Information Commissioner's Office based on a shared desire to ensure that ContactPoint operates within the Data Protection Act. Richard Thomas, the Information Commissioner has recently written to the Project Director and confirmed that
	The information that you require to populate ContactPoint is of an administrative nature, it reveals nothing about an individual's health or condition and it does not strike me as sensitive.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how the effectiveness of the ContactPoint Audit system will be monitored.

Kevin Brennan: ContactPoint will identify all users seeking access through a method of strong authentication involving physical security tokens, PIN numbers and passwords. Where access is mediated, ContactPoint will authenticate the identity of both the user and the mediator to the same high level. All ContactPoint activity will be audited, including the query parameters and the results returned.
	User managers will regularly run analysis reports that will highlight potential inappropriate usage patterns for investigation. In addition, random samples of activity will be automatically extracted and analysed. The ContactPoint central team will monitor user managers to ensure that the audit reports are being run.
	These measures provide a high level of assurance that the ContactPoint audit function is robust, and activity can be correctly attributed to an individual authorised user.

Children: Databases

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families in what circumstances people will have access to ContactPoint without having first undergone a Criminal Records Bureau check.

Kevin Brennan: The only users who will be granted to access ContactPoint, without undergoing an enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check, will be authorised members or employees of a police authority, a chief officer of police for a police area in England, or officers of the British Transport Police Authority. Their access will be granted by virtue of the fact that all officers and staff undergo equivalent vetting and checks but not the enhanced CRB check itself.

Children: Mental Health Services

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to improve access to mental health services for children; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The CAMHS Standard of the Children's National Service Framework for England (published September 2004) set out a 10 year programme of improvements for child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS). The aim is that all children and young people, from birth to their eighteenth birthday, who have mental health problems and disorders, will have access to timely, integrated, high quality multidisciplinary mental health services to ensure effective assessment, treatment and support, for them, their parents or carers, and other family members.
	This commitment to improve CAMHS has been backed by significant additional funding, over 400 million in the last four years, to local authorities and the NHS. We will continue to build on these improvements and ensure that the promotion of children's mental health and emotional well being remains a priority for schools and children's services.

City Academies: Sponsorship

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with which potential sponsors of city academies his Department is holding discussions.

Jim Knight: Potential sponsors are those who have not yet formally entered into a funding agreement. Those who have projects which are in the public domain are listed as follows.
	A number of potential sponsors are in very early discussions about academy projects. Their details have therefore not been provided.
	The list of potential sponsors the Department is currently in discussions with are:
	Absolute Return for Kids (ARK),
	All Roads DSO,
	Andrew Tinkler,
	Aston University
	Barnfield FE College,
	BBC,
	Bob Edmiston,
	Bovis Lend Lease,
	Brian Scrowcroft,
	British Edutrust Foundation,
	Carillion,
	Central Manchester University,
	CfBT,
	Church of England,
	Corporation of London,
	Coventry City College,
	Coventry City Council,
	Coventry University,
	Crown Products (Kent) Ltd.,
	CTC Trusts',
	David and Anne Grassland,
	David Ross,
	David Samworth,
	Duke of Northumberland,
	Dulwich College,
	Edge Foundation,
	Emmanuel Schools Foundation,
	Eric Payne,
	Grahame Dacre,
	Haberdashers' Livery Company,
	Hewlett Packard,
	Holiday Extras,
	HSBC Trust,
	Imperial College
	ITV Granada,
	Jaguar Cars,
	JCB,
	Jon Aisbitt,
	Kent County Council,
	KPMG,
	Laing O'Rourke,
	Leighton Group,
	Liverpool Hope University,
	Lord Harris of Peckham,
	Mancat,
	Manchester Airport,
	Manchester Children's University Hosp NHS Trust,
	Manchester City Council,
	Martin Finegold,
	Mercers' Company,
	Microsoft,
	New Charter Housing Trust,
	New Line Learning,
	Northumbrian Water,
	Oasis Community Learning,
	Ormiston Trust,
	Oxford Brookes University,
	Priory Trust,
	Prospect Education (Technology) Trust Ltd.,
	Queen Mary
	RC Archdiocese of Liverpool,
	Rodney Aldridge Charitable Trust,
	Roger de Haan,
	RSA,
	Sheffield Hallam University,
	Shireland Learning,
	Steiner School Fellowship,
	Sunderland County Council,
	Sunderland Housing Group,
	The Co-operative Group,
	The Skinners Company,
	Toc H,
	Tonbridge School,
	ULT
	University College London,
	University of Central England
	University of London
	University of Manchester
	University of Nottingham,
	University of the West of England
	University of Wolverhampton
	Wellington College,
	Willow Park Housing Trust,
	Worshipful Company of Information Technologists.

Classroom Assistants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what change there has been in the number of teaching assistants in England since 1996-97; what assessment he has made of the effects of that change on levels of pupil attainment; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: In January 2007, there were approximately 162,900 (full-time equivalent) teaching assistants in schools in England. This is an increase of 102,300 since 1997, more than doubling the number of teaching assistants.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families, in conjunction with the Welsh Assembly Government, have commissioned a five-year research study (2004-09) to provide a detailed analysis of the impact of support staff on teaching and learning, in addition to comprehensive and reliable information on the types, characteristics and deployment of support staff (including teaching assistants) in schools in England and Wales. Early findings published in 2006 (Blatchford et al, DfES Research Report 776) suggested that many teachers felt support staff were having a positive effect on pupil learning and behaviour. Teachers also felt that support staff benefited their teaching in a number of ways, for example, by allowing them to differentiate the work for more pupils. Subsequent publications will report in more detail on the role of support staff in teaching and learning and provide a systematic analysis of the effect of support staff on pupil outcomes, including attainment.
	In 2002, Ofsted reported that
	In virtually every year group and at every level of free school meal eligibility, the quality of teaching in lessons with teaching assistants is better than in those without.
	(Applies to primary only. Source: Teaching Assistants in Primary Schools: An Evaluation of the Quality and Impact of their Work April 2002).
	In 2006, the National Foundation for Educational Research concluded that
	In departments that had dedicated support staff, both teachers and departmental heads were significantly more satisfied with the amount and quality of in-class support and administrative support they received. There was evidence that being based in one department was also of benefit to the support staff themselves, both in terms of their overall satisfaction and access to professional development.
	(Source: The deployment of teachers and support staff to deliver the maths and science curriculum in secondary schoolsNFER 2006).
	In January 2003, the National Agreement, Raising Standards, Tackling Workload was signed by the Government, employers, and the majority of the school work force unions. The agreement set out the shared vision for the school work force of the future and featured a series of phased reforms to help schools raise standards of achievement of all their pupils and tackle work load issues. It is vital that schools make the most effective use of teachers' time, ensuring that they spend their time only on activities that really need the professional skills and judgment of a teacher. The increased use of teaching assistants (and other support staff) in schools, providing high quality support in the classroom and by taking on a number of administrative tasks previously carried out by teachers, has therefore been integral to the Government's drive to raise standards for pupils and tackle teacher work load.

Classroom Assistants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teaching assistants are employed in each  (a) Government region and  (b) local education authority.

Jim Knight: The following tables provide the number of full-time equivalent teaching assistants employed in local authority maintained schools in England by Government Office region and local authority, January 2006.
	Local authority figures for January 2007 are expected to be published on 27 September.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent( 1)  teaching assistants in local authority maintained schools: by Government Office region and local authority area in England, January 2006 
			   Teaching  a ssistants( 2) 
			  England 153,100 
			   
			  North East 6,930 
			 Darlington 300 
			 Durham 1,100 
			 Gateshead 480 
			 Hartlepool 310 
			 Middlesbrough 520 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 620 
			 North Tyneside 430 
			 Northumberland 1,040 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 380 
			 South Tyneside 470 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 430 
			 Sunderland 850 
			   
			  North West 22,020 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 650 
			 Blackpool 480 
			 Bolton 1,070 
			 Bury 640 
			 Cheshire 1,740 
			 Cumbria 1,310 
			 Halton 330 
			 Knowsley 460 
			 Lancashire 3,890 
			 Liverpool 1,130 
			 Manchester 1,920 
			 Oldham 830 
			 Rochdale 860 
			 Salford 780 
			 Sefton 780 
			 St. Helens 610 
			 Stockport 780 
			 Tameside 660 
			 Trafford 440 
			 Warrington 630 
			 Wigan 980 
			 Wirral 1,020 
			   
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 17,330 
			 Barnsley 680 
			 Bradford 2,000 
			 Calderdale 860 
			 Doncaster 840 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 950 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 920 
			 Kirklees 1,490 
			 Leeds 2,500 
			 North East Lincolnshire 690 
			 North Lincolnshire 600 
			 North Yorkshire 1,710 
			 Rotherham 900 
			 Sheffield 1,590 
			 Wakefield 1,090 
			 York 500 
			   
			  East Midlands 13,490 
			 Derby 930 
			 Derbyshire 2,190 
			 Leicester 1,090 
			 Leicestershire 1,730 
			 Lincolnshire 2,370 
			 Northamptonshire 1,940 
			 Nottingham 1,060 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,060 
			 Rutland 120 
			   
			  West Midlands 17,430 
			 Birmingham 4,390 
			 Coventry 770 
			 Dudley 1,200 
			 Herefordshire 420 
			 Sandwell 970 
			 Shropshire 750 
			 Solihull 630 
			 Staffordshire 2,080 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 830 
			 Telford and Wrekin 640 
			 Walsall 820 
			 Warwickshire 1,630 
			 Wolverhampton 720 
			 Worcestershire 1,580 
			   
			  East of England 17,290 
			 Bedfordshire 1,340 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,880 
			 Essex 3,920 
			 Hertfordshire 2,910 
			 Luton 820 
			 Norfolk 2,570 
			 Peterborough 1,050 
			 Southend-on-Sea 650 
			 Suffolk 1,540 
			 Thurrock 630 
			   
			  London 22,820 
			   
			  Inner London 9,660 
			 Camden 640 
			 City of London 10 
			 Hackney 720 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 430 
			 Haringey 960 
			 Islington 620 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 280 
			 Lambeth 750 
			 Lewisham 720 
			 Newham 980 
			 Southwark 1,070 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,320 
			 Wandsworth 800 
			 Westminster 370 
			   
			  Outer London 13,160 
			 Barking and Dagenham 560 
			 Barnet 1,070 
			 Bexley 570 
			 Brent 680 
			 Bromley 620 
			 Croydon 980 
			 Ealing 670 
			 Enfield 1,160 
			 Greenwich 920 
			 Harrow 550 
			 Havering 660 
			 Hillingdon 800 
			 Hounslow 680 
			 Kingston upon Thames 380 
			 Merton 460 
			 Redbridge 910 
			 Richmond upon Thames 350 
			 Sutton 360 
			 Waltham Forest 760 
			   
			  South East 22,360 
			 Bracknell Forest 220 
			 Brighton and Hove 510 
			 Buckinghamshire 1,100 
			 East Sussex 1,330 
			 Hampshire 3,210 
			 Isle of Wight 430 
			 Kent 4,660 
			 Medway 930 
			 Milton Keynes 680 
			 Oxfordshire 1,630 
			 Portsmouth 660 
			 Reading 250 
			 Slough 530 
			 Southampton 660 
			 Surrey 2,720 
			 West Berkshire 490 
			 West Sussex 1,660 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 330 
			 Wokingham 380 
			   
			  South West 13,440 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 270 
			 Bournemouth 460 
			 Bristol, City of 1,110 
			 Cornwall 1,630 
			 Devon 2,380 
			 Dorset 1,350 
			 Gloucestershire 1,030 
			 Isles of Scilly (3) 
			 North Somerset 430 
			 Plymouth 870 
			 Poole 460 
			 Somerset 1,380 
			 South Gloucestershire 640 
			 Swindon 380 
			 Torbay 300 
			 Wiltshire 750 
			 (1) Includes both full-time and the full-time equivalent of part-time support staff. (2) Includes nursery nurses, nursery assistants, literacy and numeracy support staff and any non-teaching staff regularly employed to support in the classroom expect from special needs and minority ethnic pupils support staff. (3) Nil or negligible.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Classroom Assistants

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many classroom assistants were employed by each local education authority in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the full-time equivalent number of teaching assistants employed in local authority maintained schools by local authority in each January from 1997 to 2006. The number of classroom assistants cannot be provided separately.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent( 1)  teaching assistants in local authority maintained schools by Government Office Region and local authority area in England, January 1997 to 2006 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  England 60,580 65,540 69,600 79,020 94,990 105,360 121,190 132,060 147,000 153,100 
			
			  North East 2,870 2,990 3,130 3,450 4,280 4,010 5,060 5,630 6,430 6,930 
			 Gateshead 190 200 210 220 300 320 370 350 450 480 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne 270 300 310 330 410 330 480 580 700 620 
			 North Tyneside 200 220 220 240 270 180 300 250 290 430 
			 South Tyneside 160 160 160 180 250 350 280 420 440 470 
			 Sunderland 420 400 440 460 610 510 690 750 810 850 
			 Hartlepool 100 110 120 140 210 140 260 250 310 310 
			 Middlesbrough 210 200 180 210 280 360 440 520 530 520 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 150 170 160 170 180 120 200 250 240 380 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 210 220 230 280 340 210 280 290 380 430 
			 Former Durham 640 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Darlington n/a 120 130 140 170 200 210 190 270 300 
			 Durham (post 1 April 1997) n/a 550 580 620 690 650 820 990 1,090 1,100 
			 Northumberland 320 340 380 450 560 650 720 800 910 1,040 
			
			  North West 8,750 9,370 9,920 10,990 13,700 14,400 17,500 18,950 20,700 22,020 
			 Cumbria 610 620 660 730 840 1,100 1,110 1,150 1,200 1,310 
			 Former Cheshire 1,130 1,240 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cheshire (post 1 April 1998) n/a n/a 830 870 1,020 1,120 1,230 1,350 1,530 1,740 
			 Halton n/a n/a 190 200 240 250 270 320 320 330 
			 Warrington n/a n/a 250 270 320 370 380 440 510 630 
			 Bolton 390 430 480 570 650 790 830 950 1,050 1,070 
			 Bury 270 260 280 330 360 460 480 540 590 640 
			 Manchester 740 750 750 810 1,080 1,430 1,610 1,750 1,880 1,920 
			 Oldham 390 410 430 470 560 580 630 690 780 830 
			 Rochdale 260 270 290 340 530 680 710 760 840 860 
			 Salford 430 440 450 480 530 700 570 660 790 780 
			 Stockport 340 360 310 410 510 670 700 750 810 780 
			 Tameside 280 290 310 360 490 360 420 460 520 660 
			 Trafford 190 200 220 230 300 230 300 380 420 440 
			 Wigan 340 390 420 430 560 440 740 800 880 980 
			 Former Lancashire 1,780 2,000 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Lancashire (post 1 April 1998) n/a n/a 1,670 1,830 2,190 1,960 3,130 3,300 3,570 3,890 
			 Blackburn with Darwen n/a n/a 300 350 430 360 530 580 610 650 
			 Blackpool n/a n/a 190 220 290 190 390 430 480 480 
			 Knowsley 210 230 260 280 350 470 430 490 480 460 
			 Liverpool 450 490 520 610 920 720 1,150 1,150 1,190 1,130 
			 St. Helens 260 270 290 310 390 420 480 530 640 610 
			 Sefton 360 380 410 470 580 490 650 680 750 780 
			 Wirral 320 350 390 420 570 620 780 790 850 1,020 
			
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 7,700 8,160 8,500 9,830 11,660 13,030 14,430 15,420 16,680 17,330 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 370 400 440 460 540 510 540 640 880 920 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 340 370 410 470 550 500 650 800 880 950 
			 North East Lincolnshire 220 240 260 310 460 520 570 650 630 690 
			 North Lincolnshire 180 200 240 270 330 430 450 510 550 600 
			 North Yorkshire 440 540 560 630 800 1,150 1,190 1,410 1,540 1,710 
			 York 140 160 170 220 250 350 370 400 440 500 
			 Barnsley 360 360 360 350 400 610 670 680 680 680 
			 Doncaster 520 460 470 620 640 780 810 860 970 840 
			 Rotherham 280 310 330 410 540 580 770 880 970 900 
			 Sheffield 580 640 710 800 1,080 790 1,200 1,230 1,360 1,590 
			 Bradford 1,240 1,200 1,230 1,370 1,590 1,600 1,870 1,880 1,980 2,000 
			 Calderdale 370 400 420 520 630 720 770 820 880 860 
			 Kirklees 580 620 670 970 1,120 1,160 1,140 1,270 1,390 1,490 
			 Leeds 1,560 1,670 1,670 1,780 1,950 2,380 2,470 2,460 2,550 2,500 
			 Wakefield 540 580 570 650 780 950 960 940 970 1,090 
			
			  East Midlands 5,050 5,500 6,010 6,690 8,220 9,270 10,090 10,830 12,560 13,490 
			 Former Derbyshire 1,180 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Derbyshire (post 1 April 1997) n/a 930 990 1,160 1,460 1,660 1,720 1,820 1,980 2,190 
			 Derby n/a 360 380 430 510 590 670 760 830 930 
			 Former Leicestershire 940 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Leicestershire (post 1 April 1997) n/a 580 640 760 920 970 1,190 1,150 1,630 1,730 
			 Leicester n/a 470 520 540 620 730 900 930 1,120 1,090 
			 Rutland n/a 50 50 70 70 80 100 100 120 120 
			 Lincolnshire 810 820 890 990 1,250 1,550 1,610 1,980 2,190 2,370 
			 Northamptonshire 810 880 990 1,090 1,330 1,310 1,330 1,360 1,680 1,940 
			 Former Nottinghamshire 1,310 1,420 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Nottinghamshire (post 1 April 1998) n/a n/a 1,000 1,090 1,350 1,600 1,660 1,770 1,990 2,060 
			 Nottingham n/a n/a 540 570 720 770 900 950 1,010 1,060 
			
			  West Midlands 7,220 7,870 7,770 8,970 10,670 11,420 13,260 14,600 16,590 17,430 
			 Former Hereford and Worcester 630 800 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Herefordshire n/a n/a 190 210 250 190 330 370 410 420 
			 Worcestershire n/a n/a 680 760 820 930 1,290 1,450 1,580 1,580 
			 Former Shropshire 510 540 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Shropshire (post 1 April 98) n/a n/a 350 390 460 560 640 690 780 750 
			 Telford and Wrekin n/a n/a 260 280 370 390 480 530 580 640 
			 Former Staffordshire 1,270 960 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Staffordshire (post 1 April 1998) n/a n/a 1,060 1,160 1,370 1,310 1,750 1,820 2,070 2,080 
			 Stoke-on-Trent n/a 460 460 490 540 460 620 750 820 830 
			 Warwickshire 530 630 700 980 1,040 1,240 1,250 1,470 1,590 1,630 
			 Birmingham 2,030 2,080 1,630 1,740 2,170 2,970 3,130 3,320 3,930 4,390 
			 Coventry 390 440 440 670 820 690 640 740 770 770 
			 Dudley 350 410 420 530 680 830 880 960 1,060 1,200 
			 Sandwell 460 460 490 520 650 500 600 650 850 970 
			 Solihull 280 300 300 320 370 410 470 520 610 630 
			 Walsall 380 390 380 440 580 700 810 840 950 820 
			 Wolverhampton 390 400 420 470 570 230 360 480 580 720 
			
			  East of England 6,060 6,800 7,280 8,380 10,300 12,000 14,370 15,360 16,850 17,290 
			 Former Cambridgeshire 1,240 1,370 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Cambridgeshire (post 1 April 1998) n/a n/a 1,000 1,090 1,230 1,420 1,480 1,830 2,020 1,880 
			 Peterborough n/a n/a 380 500 540 660 720 780 910 1,050 
			 Norfolk 730 850 930 1,050 1,490 1,710 1,740 1,870 2,310 2,570 
			 Suffolk 500 610 660 770 1,110 920 1,430 1,350 1,460 1,540 
			 Former Bedfordshire 790 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Bedfordshire (post 1 April 1997) n/a 580 650 710 820 950 1,070 1,140 1,240 1,340 
			 Luton n/a 290 360 430 530 560 620 720 780 820 
			 Former Essex 1,720 1,840 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Essex (post 1 April 1998) n/a n/a 1,620 1,760 2,100 3,140 3,500 3,660 3,810 3,920 
			 Southend-on-Sea n/a n/a 220 280 350 460 560 600 640 650 
			 Thurrock n/a n/a 210 290 340 430 540 550 570 630 
			 Hertfordshire 1,080 1,270 1,250 1,510 1,800 1,740 2,710 2,870 3,110 2,910 
			
			  London 8,160 8,870 9,790 11,740 14,330 15,340 17,510 19,800 22,140 22,820 
			
			  Inner London 3,390 3,710 4,060 5,090 6,430 6,580 7,470 8,540 9,490 9,660 
			 Camden 200 240 250 300 360 440 470 550 580 640 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 10 10 10 
			 Hackney 210 250 290 380 420 490 530 610 680 720 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 190 200 210 250 240 260 300 360 380 430 
			 Haringey 350 360 380 420 490 650 680 810 900 960 
			 Islington 250 250 270 350 360 350 480 520 560 620 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 130 140 140 170 210 220 260 270 300 280 
			 Lambeth 300 350 390 500 560 580 640 720 770 750 
			 Lewisham 280 290 320 410 570 470 560 620 670 720 
			 Newham 280 280 390 500 960 720 1,070 1,190 1,300 980 
			 Southwark 350 420 430 650 810 750 710 900 1,030 1,070 
			 Tower Hamlets 370 400 450 510 800 970 950 1,070 1,150 1,320 
			 Wandsworth 330 370 370 460 470 380 530 590 730 800 
			 Westminster 150 170 160 190 190 310 280 330 420 370 
			
			  Outer London 4,770 5,160 5,730 6,650 7,900 8,760 10,040 11,270 12,650 13,160 
			 Barking and Dagenham 300 290 310 320 400 500 510 560 540 560 
			 Barnet 290 340 400 480 550 740 720 850 980 1,070 
			 Bexley 200 230 280 310 380 320 560 550 600 570 
			 Brent 260 300 360 390 440 450 470 560 640 680 
			 Bromley 210 230 230 270 360 440 500 520 550 620 
			 Croydon 400 410 510 530 660 630 870 950 1,010 980 
			 Ealing 340 360 370 400 510 450 530 630 690 670 
			 Enfield 250 290 290 500 590 810 880 970 1,050 1,160 
			 Greenwich 360 400 430 510 650 650 730 750 820 920 
			 Harrow 270 270 290 300 300 330 430 480 540 550 
			 Havering 170 170 200 260 300 310 520 590 680 660 
			 Hillingdon 300 340 380 420 510 520 590 620 740 800 
			 Hounslow 280 280 290 330 380 400 400 550 580 680 
			 Kingston upon Thames 130 130 150 170 220 220 250 310 360 380 
			 Merton 190 200 220 240 290 250 300 370 530 460 
			 Redbridge 190 230 270 370 450 580 620 730 820 910 
			 Richmond upon Thames 100 110 110 130 160 210 220 250 330 350 
			 Sutton 160 170 210 230 260 340 310 360 430 360 
			 Waltham Forest 380 400 410 470 490 610 640 670 780 760 
			
			  South East 9,830 10,480 11,250 12,290 13,720 16,910 18,890 20,300 22,400 22,360 
			 Former Berkshire 940 970 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Bracknell Forest n/a n/a 140 130 170 110 190 190 210 220 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead n/a n/a 150 160 220 210 220 280 300 330 
			 West Berkshire n/a n/a 190 200 230 330 350 430 530 490 
			 Reading n/a n/a 200 200 240 280 280 280 320 250 
			 Slough n/a n/a 230 250 300 340 440 450 530 530 
			 Wokingham n/a n/a 210 220 230 290 290 360 380 380 
			 Former Buckinghamshire 650 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Buckinghamshire (post 1 April 1997) n/a 460 470 490 570 750 710 840 950 1,100 
			 Milton Keynes n/a 260 270 280 300 310 450 530 530 680 
			 Former East Sussex 700 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 East Sussex (post 1 April 1997) n/a 490 560 650 720 1,000 1,070 1,350 1,380 1,330 
			 Brighton and Hove n/a 270 310 320 380 410 370 400 460 510 
			 Former Hampshire 2,560 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Hampshire (post 1 April 1997) n/a 1,880 1,920 1,960 2,120 2,900 3,010 3,160 3,280 3,210 
			 Portsmouth n/a 330 400 410 480 600 600 630 830 660 
			 Southampton n/a 370 430 470 490 610 630 640 660 660 
			 Isle of Wight 160 210 250 270 320 300 360 370 450 430 
			 Former Kent 2,330 2,490 
			 Kent (post 1 April 1998) n/a n/a 2,210 2,470 2,750 3,620 4,160 4,330 4,860 4,660 
			 Medway n/a n/a 440 670 830 710 830 900 960 930 
			 Oxfordshire 780 830 860 930 1,030 1,080 1,280 1,440 1,670 1,630 
			 Surrey 1,170 1,290 1,360 1,500 1,570 1,960 2,350 2,390 2,610 2,720 
			 West Sussex 530 650 670 710 780 1,090 1,310 1,330 1,480 1,660 
			
			  South West 4,940 5,490 5,940 6,670 8,090 8,980 10,070 11,160 12,650 13,440 
			 Isles of Scilly (2) (2) (2) (2) 10 (2) 10 10 (2) (2) 
			 Bath and North East Somerset 170 170 160 160 180 70 100 80 170 270 
			 Bristol, City of 650 700 690 770 850 920 920 1,040 1,110 1,110 
			 North Somerset 190 220 220 260 290 310 380 380 450 430 
			 South Gloucestershire 270 280 300 350 430 480 560 550 590 640 
			 Cornwall 790 870 960 980 990 1,000 1,170 1,190 1,860 1,630 
			 Former Devon 810 960 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Devon (post 1 April 1998) n/a n/a 630 770 1,020 1,360 1,740 2,090 2,190 2,380 
			 Plymouth n/a n/a 320 310 720 660 710 650 750 870 
			 Torbay n/a n/a 140 170 180 200 220 290 280 300 
			 Former Dorset 430  
			 Dorset (post 1 April 1997) n/a 330 390 580 660 780 890 1,180 1,300 1,350 
			 Poole n/a 110 150 180 220 400 390 430 420 460 
			 Bournemouth n/a 130 170 210 240 380 380 410 400 460 
			 Gloucestershire 470 490 550 590 740 710 750 700 910 1,030 
			 Somerset 610 660 680 710 830 920 990 980 1,100 1,380 
			 Former Wiltshire 530 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Wiltshire (post 1 April 1997) n/a 340 350 350 410 560 650 780 750 750 
			 Swindon n/a 240 230 260 310 220 220 410 370 380 
			 n/a = Not applicable. (1) Includes both full-time and the full-time equivalent of part-time support staff. (2) Nil or negligible.   Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census.

Climate Change: Curriculum

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what provision is made in the national curriculum for educating children about renewable energy; and what measures are in place to ensure that all school children are suitably educated about climate change.

Jim Knight: Under both the current national curriculum in England for science and the new science curriculum to be taught in schools from September 2008, pupils aged 11-14 are taught about renewable energy and the possible impact of human activity, such as the burning of fossil fuels, on the environment. The current geography curriculum for 11 to 14-year-olds requires pupils to be taught about resource planning and management issues, for example developing alternative energy sources. From September 2008, 'environmental interaction and sustainable development' will be one of the key concepts in the new geography curriculum for 11 to 14-year-olds with a requirement to study climate change.
	In May 2007, DCSF and DEFRA sent a climate change pack to every secondary school in England. The online teacher guidance accompanying the pack provides material to support the teaching of climate change in geography, science and citizenship. The pack is part of the wider DCSF Sustainable Schools programme which aims to embed sustainability in the curriculum, how schools operate (eg reducing energy usage) and in their work with the local community www.teachernet. gov.uk/sustainableschools. In addition to work being supported by DCSF, DEFRA have sponsored a number of projects aimed at raising awareness of climate change through the Climate Challenge Fund. Seventeen out of the 83 projects have schools as their main audience or have specifically targeted aspects of their project, www.climatechallenge.gov.uk. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has developed programmes for renewable energy education for primary and secondary schools www.berr.gov.uk/energy/sources/renewables/renewables-schools. BERR has provided grant funds to hundreds of schools for installations of microgeneration on their properties, and currently provides these through phase 2 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme www.lowcarbonbuildingsphase2.org.uk.

Creative Partnerships Initiative: Disadvantaged

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the ability of schools in disadvantaged communities to pay 50 per cent. of the costs of engagement in the Creative Partnership programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what plans he has to increase funding to extend the Creative Partnership programme to more schools in England; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We are currently considering options for the future funding of the Creative Partnerships programme beyond 2008.

Departments: Disciplinary Proceedings

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people in his Department and its predecessor have been  (a) disciplined and  (b) dismissed for (i) inappropriate use of the internet while at work and (ii) using work telephones to access premium rate telephone numbers in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: From May 2006 to June 2007 in the Department, and its predecessor, one person was disciplined for inappropriate use of the internet while at work, and one person was disciplined for using work telephones to access premium rate telephone numbers.

Departments: Legislation

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what legislative provisions introduced by his Department's predecessor since 1997 have been repealed.

Kevin Brennan: The following table sets out the legislative provisions, introduced by my Department's predecessors in relation to England since 1997, that have been repealed:
	
		
			  Act  Section  
			 Teaching and Higher Education Act section 20 Inspection of institutions training teachers for schools 
			
			 School Standards and Framework Act 1998 section 2 Plans by LEAs for reducing infant class sizes 
			  section 6 Preparation of Education Development Plans 
			  section 7 Approval, modification and review of statement and proposals 
			  section 13 Disapplication of Pay and Conditions Order in relation to teachers and participating schools 
			  sections14-19 Intervention in schools causing concernamended to apply to Wales only 
			  section 24 School Organisation Committees 
			  section 26 School Organisation Plans 
			  section 26A Plans of local Learning and Skills Councils 
			  sections 28, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 Amended to apply to Wales only in respect of school organisation 
			  sections 36-44 Government of maintained schools 
			  sections 54-57 Staffing and conduct of schools 
			  sections 64-68 Exclusion of pupils 
			  section 91 Special arrangements to preserve religious character of foundation or voluntary aided schools 
			  section 93 Fixing admission numbers 
			  sections 115-116 LEA functions concerning school lunches 
			  sections 120 and 121 Early years development and childcare plans 
			  sections 122-134 Publication of inspection reports 
			  section 135 Inspection 
			
			 Learning and Skills Act 2000 sections 52-72 Adult Learning Inspectorate 
			  section 90 FEFC transfer scheme 
			
			 Children Act 2004 section 20(4)(b) and (c) Joint area reviews 
			  section 24 Performance rating of social services 
			
			 Education Act 2002 sections 54-59 Powers of intervention in schools causing concern amended to apply to Wales only 
			  sections 70-71, 73 and 74 School organisation 
			  section 179 Rights of entry in relation to inspections 
			  section 188 School inspections 
			
			 Education Act 2005 sections 1-4 School Inspectors and school inspectionsHM Inspectorate for England 
			
			 Childcare Act 2006 sections 14, 31, 50(4), 61(4) and 80-81 Inspection

Departments: Ministerial Red Boxes

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many ministerial red boxes his Department and its predecessor bought in each of the last five years; what the cost of each was; who the suppliers were; and what tendering process was used in selecting them.

Kevin Brennan: Red boxes are ordered as and when they are needed from the Department's stationery supplier, Business Banner Supplies. Ministerial boxes are used by successive Ministers over many years.

Departments: Racial Harassment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many complaints of racial abuse relating to staff for which his Department is responsible have been  (a) investigated and  (b) upheld in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: No complaints of racial abuse were investigated in my Department, and its predecessor, in the last 12 months. Formal complaints of racial abuse would be investigated quickly and thoroughly and, where complaints were upheld, appropriate disciplinary action would be taken. All cases are treated seriously.
	The Department believes that each and every individual has the right to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect. As such, we do not tolerate unacceptable behaviour towards others. The overall aim of our harassment and bullying policy is to prevent such unacceptable behaviour occurring but, where it does occur, to ensure that appropriate and effective action is taken to deal with it and prevent it happening again. This applies to everyone in the Department. Every individual is personally responsible for their own behaviour, and every manager is responsible for enforcing the policy in accordance with the guidance and procedures set out in our staff handbook.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what evidence he has evaluated on whether there has been grade inflation in  (a) GCSEs and  (b) A levels since 1990; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as the independent regulator to act to ensure that standards in both GCSE and A level are maintained. Since 1997, QCA has carried out reviews of standards in a wide range of A level and GCSE subjects. The reports are available on their website at http://www.qca.org.uk
	The Independent Committee on Examination Standards chaired by Dr. Barry McGaw, Director for Education at OECD, published its findings about A levels in December 2004. The report concluded that:
	no examination system at the school or other level is so tightly or carefully managed;
	strategies for maintaining comparable examination standards across awarding bodies are adequate to the task;
	the awarding bodies have broadly consistent and well-regulated systems for setting question papers, managing marking and awarding grades; and
	QCA has robust systems in place to monitor and regulate the work of the awarding bodies.
	The improvements we have seen reflect the hard work of pupils and teachers supported by record investment; double the number of support staff and billions invested in rebuilding schools.

Education: Assessments

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his policy is on the use of multiple choice questions in GCSE English exams; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) as the independent regulator to ensure that exams are fit for purpose and to make judgments on how to govern the use of multiple choice questions.
	While elements of multiple choice testing may be included, this would be within the context of an exam that maintains the high standards of GCSE and requires a suitably challenging breadth and depth of knowledge. For instance, candidates will still have to read Shakespeare, write essays and give reasoned, individual responses to texts to pass English GCSE.

Education: Departmental Responsibilities

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families for which public service agreement targets of the former Department for Education and Skills his Department now has responsibility.

Kevin Brennan: The Department is responsible for the following PSA targets, each of which were agreed between the former Department for Education and Skills and HM Treasury as part of the 2004 Spending Review:
	1. Improve children's communication and social and emotional development so that by 2008 53 per cent. of children reach a good level of development at the end of the Foundation Stage; and reduce inequalities between the level of development achieved by children in the 30 per cent. most disadvantaged Super Output Areas and the rest of England by four percentage points from 16 per cent. to 12 per cent. (Joint with the Department for Work and Pensions)
	2. As a contribution to reducing the proportion of children living in households where no-one is working, by 2008: increase the stock of Ofsted-registered childcare by 10 per cent.; increase the number of children in lower-income working families using formal childcare by 120,000; and introduce by April 2005 a successful light-touch child care approval scheme. (Joint with the Department for Work and Pensions)
	3. Reduce the under-18 conception rate by 50 per cent. by 2010 as part of a broader strategy to improve sexual health. (Joint with the Department of Health)
	4. Halt the year-on-year rise in obesity among children under 11 by 2010 in the context of a broader strategy to tackle obesity in the population as a whole. (Joint with the Department of Health and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
	5. Narrow the gap in educational achievement between looked after children and that of their peers; and improve their educational support and the stability of their lives so that by 2008 80 per cent. of children under 16 who have been looked after for 2.5 or more years will have been living in the same placement for at least two years, or are placed for adoption.
	6. Raise standards in English and mathematics so that: by 2006, 85 per cent. of 11-year-olds achieve level 4 or above, with this level of performance sustained to 2008; and by 2008 the proportion of schools in which fewer than 65 per cent. of pupils achieve level 4 or above is reduced by 40 per cent.
	7. Raise standards in English, mathematics, ICT and science in secondary education so that: by 2007 85 per cent. of 14-year-olds achieve level 5 or above in English, mathematics and ICT (80 per cent. in science) nationally, with this level of performance sustained to 2008; and by 2008 in all schools at least 50 per cent. of pupils achieve level 5 or above in English, mathematics and science.
	8. Improve levels of school attendance so that by 2008, school absence is reduced by 8 per cent. compared to 2003.
	9. Enhance the take-up of sporting opportunities by 5 to 16-year-olds so that the percentage of school children in England who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and sport within and beyond the curriculum increases from 25 per cent. in 2002 to 75 per cent. by 2006 and to 85 per cent. by 2008, and to at least 75 per cent. in each School Sport Partnership by 2008. (Joint with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
	10. By 2008, 60 per cent. of those aged 16 to achieve the equivalent of 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C; and in all schools at least 20 per cent. of pupils to achieve this standard by 2004, rising to 25 per cent. by 2006 and 30 per cent. by 2008.
	11. Increase the proportion of 19-year-olds who achieve at least level 2 by three percentage points between 2004 and 2006; and a further two percentage points between 2006 and 2008, and increase the proportion of young people who achieve level 3.
	12. Reduce the proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) by two percentage points by 2010.

Extended Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of schools he expects to provide extended hours services in each year to 2011; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: Our target is for all schools in England to be providing access to the extended schools full core offer of services by 2010 with half of all primary schools and a third of all secondary schools providing these services by September 2008. To help us meet our target we are aiming to have 6,000 schools delivering access to the full core offer of services by September 2007. With over 5,700 schools already providing these services, we are making excellent progress towards meeting our target.
	The extended schools core offer of services includes primary schools providing access to child care from 8 am to 6 pm all year round in response to demand, all schools offering access to a range of study support activities beyond the school day, parenting support, swift and easy referral and opening up facilities to the wider community.

Family Courts

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish in full responses received to the Government's consultation on improving transparency and privacy in family courts; and what action he proposes to take as a result of the consultation.

Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government published the consultation 'Confidence and confidentiality: Improving transparency and privacy in family courts' on 11 July 2006. The consultation paper and the response paper (published on 22 March 2007) can be found at:
	http://www.dca.gov.uk/consult/courttransparencey1106/cp1106.htm.
	Copies of the responses will be sent to the hon. Member shortly.
	Having carefully considered the range of views expressed in the consultation, we concluded that a new approach was needed to improve confidence in the family courts. This would focus on information coming out of the courts rather than who could attend proceedings.
	The Government published a further consultation paper on 20 June 2007, setting out what we intend to do and inviting views on a small number of additional proposals. This can be found at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/cp1007.htm.
	Copies will also be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Foster Care: Poole

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many foster parents are required in the Poole area to meet demand for placements.

Kevin Brennan: Data on the number of foster parents who are required in the Poole area to meet the current demand for placements are not collected centrally by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF).

Foundation Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have taken up  (a) foundation and  (b) trust status.

Jim Knight: There are 927 foundation schools and 15 foundation special schools as of the 17 July 2007.
	Trust Schools are foundation schools that have acquired a foundation established otherwise than under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. Prior to the commencement of the relevant provisions of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 (25 May 2007), foundation schools did not have to follow a statutory process to acquire a foundation. The Department accordingly did not collect information on how many foundation schools acquired foundations before this date.
	There are over 200 schools currently working towards acquiring Trust statusover 140 primary, secondary and specials schools, alongside 69 full pathfinder schools. As of the present time, no schools have implemented proposals to become foundation schools with foundations (Trust Schools) under the Education and Inspections Act 2006. However, the first of the pathfinder schools plan to become Trust schools from September 2007.

General Certificate of Secondary Education: Mathematics

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the mark required for an A grade in GCSE in mathematics was in each year since 1988-89;
	(2)  what average mark was required to achieve a grade  (a) A,  (b) B,  (c) C and  (d) E for GCSE (i) mathematics, (ii) English, (iii) physics and (iv) history in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: This information is not held centrally.

Head Teachers: Retirement

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of headteachers in England are within  (a) one year,  (b) two years,  (c) three years,  (d) five years and  (e) 10 years of standard pension age; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The normal pension age (NPA) of teachers who entered service before 1 January 2007 is 60. Entrants to the profession from that date have a NPA of 65. NPA is the age at which members of the teachers' pension scheme can retire without any actuarial reduction to their pension benefits.
	The following table provides the percentage of full-time head teachers in service in the maintained schools sector in England within one year, two years, three years, five years and 10 years of the NPA 60, in March 2005, the latest information available.
	
		
			  Full-time head teachers in maintained sector schools in England, percentage in service by number of years before the normal pension age (age 60), March 2005 (provisional) 
			  Years before NPA  Percentage of head teachers( 1) 
			  Less than:  
			 1 2.1 
			 2 6.2 
			 3 11.3 
			 5 23.9 
			 10 57.7 
			 (1) Percentages are cumulative  Source:  Database of Teacher Records. 
		
	
	Reforms of the teachers' pension scheme that were introduced in January 2007and which include a NPA of 65 for new entrantsincluded new provisions that are specifically aimed at encouraging teachers to extend their working lives. These new provisions will provide a real and attractive alternative to teachers' traditional approach to retirement.
	The National College for School Leadership is currently undergoing an extensive programme of work on succession planning.

Health Education: Alcoholic Drinks

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much he has allocated for the provision of alcohol awareness programmes in schools over the next three years; and how much was spent on such programmes in each of the last three years.

Kevin Brennan: The Government recently published the new Alcohol Strategy for England, which highlights young people as one of three priority groups. Alcohol education is delivered alongside education on drugs and volatile substances as part of Personal Social and Health Education, and is a vital element of the current approach.
	DCSF does not provide ring-fenced funding for schools' drug education lessons, which are funded from schools' general budgets.
	The Government provide ring-fenced funding to prevent substance misuse among young people. The Young People's Substance Misuse Partnership Grant (YPSMPG) is made available to local authorities for the provision of universal, targeted and specialist responses commissioned and delivered at locally, based on their area's needs and priorities. The grant funds a range of different projects across the country determined at local level, which are available for young people.
	The grant brings together into a single pot funding from the Home Office, the Department of Health, the Youth Justice Board and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The following table details the total YPSMPG expenditure for the past five years (note that the first year, 2003/04, was a pilot year in 27 local authority areas):
	
		
			million 
			 2003/04 (1)14.9 
			 2004/05 58.8 
			 2005/06 66.6 
			 2006/07 64.1 
			 2007/08 55.5 
			 (1 )YPSMPG pilot in only 27 local authorities 
		
	
	The YPSMPG is used in addition to mainstream funding to provide a comprehensive range of services for young people up to 18 years:
	Universalsubstance misuse education, information and advice and prevention campaigns
	Targetedearly identification, assessment and prevention interventions with vulnerable young people in risk groups
	Specialistprovision of specialist substance misuse treatment for under 18's
	In addition to supporting the work of local partnerships, The Government fund specific programmes targeting messages for young people about substances, including the FRANK campaign which has become a credible source of information and advice for young people and their parents. The cross departmental campaign was launched in 2003 funded by Home Office and Department of Health, with the Department for Children Schools and Families contributing from 2006/07.
	
		
			million 
			 2003/04 4.25 
			 2004/05 4.30 
			 2005/06 6.17 
			 2006/07 9.05 
		
	
	The Government are committed to expanding and improving the quality of school drug education (Inc tobacco, alcohol, volatile substance), through encouraging the development of well structured high quality programmes of PSHE across all key stages.
	The national health schools standard requires schools to demonstrate effective PSHE provision. The Government have also invested over 6 million on Blueprint, the largest research programme ever run in this country designed to test the effectiveness of a multi-component approach to drug education, involving an intensive set of school lessons for 11-13 year olds supported by work with parents, communities, health professionals and local media. The full results of the programme will be available over the next 12 months or so.

Health Education: Drugs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on  (a) drug awareness,  (b) alcohol awareness and  (c) volatile substance abuse programmes aimed at school age children in each of the last five years; and if he will list the projects funded.

Kevin Brennan: The Government are committed to reducing substance misuse related harm among young people, including harm arising from the misuse of drugs, alcohol and volatile substances. Education and awareness on these substances is a vital element of the current approach, and we have issued schools with guidance on drugs education. DCSF does not provide ring-fenced funding for schools' drug education lessons, which are funded from schools' general budgets.
	The Government provide ring-fenced funding to prevent substance misuse among young people. The Young People's Substance Misuse Partnership Grant (YPSMPG) is made available to local authorities for the provision of universal, targeted and specialist responses commissioned and delivered locally, based on their area's needs and priorities. The grant funds a range of different projects across the country determined at local level, which are available for young people.
	The grant brings together into a single pot, funding from the Home Office, the Department of Health, the Youth Justice Board and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The following table details the total YPSMPG expenditure for the past five years (note that the first year, 2003/04, was a pilot year in 27 local authority areas):
	
		
			million 
			 2003/04 (1)14.9 
			 2004/05 58.8 
			 2005/06 66.6 
			 2006/07 64.1 
			 2007/08 55.5 
			 (1) Pilot year in only 27 local authorities 
		
	
	The YPSMPG is used in addition to mainstream funding to provide a comprehensive range of services for young people up to 18 years:
	Universalsubstance misuse education, information and advice and prevention campaigns
	Targetedearly identification, assessment and prevention interventions with vulnerable young people in risk groups
	Specialistprovision of specialist substance misuse treatment for under 18's
	In addition to supporting the work of local partnerships, the Government fund specific programmes targeting messages for young people about substances, including the Frank campaign which has become a credible source of information and advice for young people and their parents. The cross departmental campaign was launched in 2003 funded by Home Office and Department of Health, with the Department for Children Schools and Families contributing from 2006/07.
	
		
			million 
			 2003/04 4.25 
			 2004/05 4.30 
			 2005/06 6.17 
			 2006/07 9.05 
		
	
	The Government are committed to expanding and improving the quality of school drug education (inc. tobacco, alcohol, volatile substance), through encouraging the development of well structured high quality programmes of PSHE across all key stages. The National Health Schools Standard requires schools to demonstrate effective PSHE provision. The Government have also invested over 6 million on Blueprint, the largest research programme ever run in this country designed to test the effectiveness of a multi-component approach to drug education, involving an intensive set of school lessons for 11 to 13-year-olds supported by work with parents, communities, health professionals and local media. The full results of the programme will be available over the next 12 months or so.
	The Department of Health lead on the Framework for Volatile Substance Abuse targeted at children and young people (launched on 20 July 2005). The document called Out of Sight?...not out of mind outlines a number of key recommendations that the Government intend to take forward in partnership with key stakeholders at local, regional and national level.
	The stated aims of the VSA Framework are to:
	Provide effective education on VSA to all children and young people, including the most disadvantaged
	Provide effective targeted interventions for children and young people abusing or at risk of abusing volatile substances
	Reduce the availability and accessibility of volatile substances, with a focus on butane gas lighter refills
	Build the capacity of parents, carers and practitioners to identify and work effectively with children and young people who are abusing or at risk of abusing volatile substances
	Increase the evidence base with regard to what works in reducing deaths and harm from VSA.

Health Education: Sex

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the teaching of sex and relationships education in schools; and what plans he has to standardise teaching according to age and content;
	(2)  if he will make sex and relationships education a mandatory part of personal, social and health education;
	(3)  whether he plans to employ more specially-trained staff to deliver sex and relationship education;
	(4)  whether he plans to incorporate information about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender relationships into sex and relationship education.

Jim Knight: The Department has not undertaken or commissioned any recent assessment of sex and relationship education (SRE) in schools. Ofsted is responsible for assessing the quality of schools' provision in the area of personal, social and health education (PSHE), including SRE, through its inspection framework and subject reports, and last reported on SRE in Sex and Relationships Education in Schools in 2002.
	The Department's Sex and Relationship Education Guidance for schools outlines their responsibilities in this area and provides information on the issues to be covered at each of the four key stages, taking account of the age and the physical and emotional maturity of the young people. The guidance is clear that schools need to make sure that SRE meets, and is sensitive to, the needs of all pupils whatever their developing sexuality. Pupils should be helped to understand difference and respect themselves and others in order to prevent and remove prejudice.
	Certain aspects of SRE must be delivered as part of the statutory curriculum for science, and legislation requires that head teachers and school governing bodies must have regard to the Department's guidance when delivering a broader range of SRE within the framework for PSHE. All schools are expected to meet the statutory requirements and have an up-to-date policy on SRE. Beyond this, there are no plans to regulate SRE further, as this would be contrary to curriculum reforms designed to give schools greater flexibilities.
	It is for schools to determine whom they employ to deliver any area of the curriculum. We are however committed to helping schools improve their planning and delivery of this important area, and there is a Government-funded continuing professional development programme for PSHE, which all teachers of SRE are encouraged to undertake. The programme, which is also open to community nurses, supports standards in the delivery of PSHE teaching, including SRE. To date, over 6,000 teachers and nurses have benefited from the programme.
	Other measures to support high quality SRE provision include:
	(1) The Department's funding for a new PSHE subject association. The association provides support and advice to teachers in all areas of PSHE, including SRE;
	(2) Increased funding (13.2 million) in 2007-08 for the national Healthy Schools Programme. This key programme requires schools, for the purposes of accreditation, to demonstrate that they have a SRE programme in line with DCSF guidance. We expect all schools to have reached or be working towards Healthy School status by 2009;
	(3) Detailed guidance to teachers from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, covering how schools can evaluate what young people are learning through PSHE, including SRE; and
	(4) Developing a SRE pupil assessment tool for use by schools and teachers to establish whether SRE provision is meeting the needs of the young people receiving it.

Local Education Authorities: Inspections

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will make a statement on his plans for the inspection of local education authorities.

Jim Knight: The Secretary of State has no plans to request separate inspections of local authority education functions. These functions are within the scope of Ofsted's annual performance assessments of children's services, and of joint area reviews of children's services by Ofsted and other inspectorates. The Secretary of State has approved a timetable for a programme of joint area reviews, to cover every local authority in England between 2005 and 2008.

Playing Fields

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools sold their playing fields in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local authority.

Kevin Brennan: In the last 10 years the Secretary of State has approved 187 applications that involve the sale of an area of land capable of forming a sports pitch of at least 0.2 hectares at schools in England. The analysis is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Local authority  Total  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Barnet 1   1
			 Bath and NE Somerset 2  11 
			 Bedfordshire 2  1  1   
			 Bexley 11   
			 Bolton 1  1 
			 Bracknell Forest 1   1
			 Bristol 4 1  1 1  1 
			 Buckinghamshire 4  1 3
			 Bury 1  1 
			 Calderdale 1 1  
			 Cambridge 1 1  
			 Camden 2   1  1  
			 Cheshire 6 1  2 2  1 
			 Coventry 3 11 1 
			 Croydon 1  1 
			 Cumbria 1   1
			 Derby 3  3 
			 Derbyshire 3  2 1
			 Devon 2  1 1
			 Dorset 11   
			 Dudley 1 1  
			 Durham 3  1 1  1  
			 Ealing 1   1
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 1 1  
			 Enfield 1  1 
			 Essex 5  1 1 2  1 
			 Gloucestershire 3   11  1  
			 Greenwich 1  1 
			 Halton 1 1  
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 2  1   1  
			 Hampshire 2 1   1   
			 Havering 2   11
			 Hertfordshire 6  2   1 1   2  
			 Kent 5  1 2 11   
			 Lancashire 4  2 1 1   
			 Leeds 3  1  2   
			 Leicester 1 1  
			 Leicestershire 1 1  
			 Lewisham 11   
			 Lincolnshire 22   
			 Liverpool 21   1
			 Manchester 7 6   1   
			 Medway 1 1  
			 Merton 1   1
			 Milton Keynes 3  21 
			 Newcastle 2  2 
			 Norfolk 3   2  1  
			 North Somerset 1 1  
			 North Tyneside 2  1  1   
			 North Yorkshire 1  1 
			 Northants 31  2 
			 Northumberland 3  1 1 1   
			 Nottingham 1  1 
			 Nottinghamshire 4   1 1  2 
			 Oxfordshire 6  1 1  1 2   1  
			 Peterborough 21  1 
			 Reading 1  1 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 1 1  
			 Rochdale 2  1  1   
			 Salford 1   1
			 Sheffield 1  1 
			 Shropshire 11   
			 Slough 1 1  
			 South Gloucestershire 1  1 
			 Staffordshire 2  1   1  
			 Stockton 1   1
			 Surrey 10  4 4 1  1 
			 Swindon 1   1
			 Tameside 1   1
			 Trafford 2   1   1 
			 Wakefield 3  3 
			 Walsall 2  1  1   
			 Warwickshire 5 1 1 1 2   
			 West Sussex 4  2   2  
			 Wigan 4  3 1
			 Wiltshire 71 1 14 
			 Wirral 1 1  
			 Wokingham 3 1  2
			 Wolverhampton 1   1
			 Worcestershire 21   1
			 Total 187 7 42 31 21 24 16 13 11 8 14

Primary Education: Class Sizes

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the annual cost of reducing class sizes at Key Stage 1 in English schools to  (a) 20 or fewer and  (b) 25 or fewer.

Jim Knight: There is no clear evidence that further reductions in the infant class size limit from 30 would have further impact on overall pupil attainment, and therefore we have not done any work in costing this. Teachers, supported by teaching assistants, are free to organise their classes into small groups if they consider it will benefit individual pupils' learning.

Private Education: Per Capita Costs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his most recent estimate is of capital spending per pupil by independent schools in England; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: These data are not collected by the Department. However, the 2007 Independent Schools Council Census, comprising 1,276 schools and around 80 per cent. of pupils in the independent sector, indicates that capital expenditure per pupil for the schools included in the census was on average 1,387 per pupil in 2006-07.

Pupil Exclusions: Greater London

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many school exclusions there were in each London borough in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Data on school exclusions for all local education authorities in England, including those for London and covering the years 1997/98 to 2005/06, have been placed in the House Library.

Pupils: Absenteeism

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the total number of unauthorised absences was in each  (a) government region and  (b) local education authority in each year since 1997.

Jim Knight: Figures on the percentage of unauthorised absence for each local authority from 1997 onwards is available in the House of Commons Library. Figures on the total number of unauthorised absence broken down by local authority and government office region are available only at a disproportionate cost.
	Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.

Pupils: Allergies

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  if he will commission research on the performance of pupils with hay fever at  (a) GCSE and  (b) A level; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will take steps to ensure that advice is provided by the Joint Council for Qualifications to examination centres on provision to be made for those affected by hay fever during an examination.

Jim Knight: I am satisfied that the current arrangements are sufficient to ensure that students who suffer from hay fever are not disadvantaged in taking general qualifications such as GCSEs and A levels. Under the annual regulations and guidance on Access Arrangements and Special Consideration produced by the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) on behalf of the awarding bodies, candidates who suffer from hay fever on the day of an examination may apply via their examination centre for special consideration, which can result in an increase in their marks by up to 2 per cent., depending on the circumstances. The JCQ sends these regulations each year to all examination centres and they are also available on the JCQ's website.

Pupils: Discipline

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to use Ofsted to improve behaviour in schools.

Kevin Brennan: Inspectors make a judgment about standards of behaviour every time they inspect a school. Ofsted will further strengthen their focus on behaviour by giving inspectors additional guidance that clearly identifies the characteristics of satisfactory and inadequate standards of behaviour. Ofsted inspectors will continue to make monitoring visits to schools judged to have inadequate standards of behaviour to make sure they improve.
	Ofsted will also strengthen the behaviour-related aspects of the school self-evaluation form. This provides the opportunity for schools to identify the proportion of lessons where pupils do not make the progress they should as a result of low level disruption or the bad behaviour of individuals.
	Taken together, these changes will provide an even stronger incentive for schools to maintain high standards and improve them where they are currently not good enough.

Pupils: Fingerprints

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance his Department has issued to schools about the collection of fingerprints from children.

Jim Knight: Guidance on the use of biometric technologies in schools will shortly be issued by the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) on behalf of my Department.

Pupils: School Choice

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were placed in schools other than their first place preference school in each local education authority in each year since 1996-97.

Jim Knight: We do not collate this information centrally.

Pupils: Special Educational Needs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of schools have more than  (a) 50 per cent. of pupils on the special needs register,  (b) 30 per cent. of pupils on the special needs register,  (c) 20 per cent. of pupils on the special needs register,  (d) 10 per cent. of children with statements and  (e) 20 per cent. of children with statements.

Jim Knight: Information on the number and percentage of pupils with Special Educational Needs (SEN) in schools is published in a Statistical First Release Special Educational Needs in England, January 2007 and is available on the Department's Research and Statistics Gateway at:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000732/index.shtml
	
		
			  Maintained primary schools ( 1) :  n umber of schools by percentage of pupils with SEN ( 2) ,  January 2007 
			   Pupils with statements of SEN 
			   Up to 2%  2% up to 5%  5% up to 10%  10% and above  
			   Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Total number of schools 
			 England 12,875 74.2 3,827 22.0 544 3.1 111 0.6 17,357 
			 North East 727 79.2 163 17.8 18 2.0 10 1.1 918 
			 North West 1,774 69.5 644 25.2 113 4.4 23 0.9 2,554 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1,451 77.5 375 20.0 42 2.2 4 0.2 1,872 
			 East Midlands 1,298 76.5 324 19.1 65 3.8 9 0.5 1,696 
			 West Midlands 1,444 79.0 345 18.9 33 1.8 7 0.4 1,829 
			 East of England 1,428 69.4 553 26.9 64 3.1 13 0.6 2,058 
			 London 1,287 70.6 468 25.7 54 3.0 14 0.8 1,823 
			 Inner London 471 67.8 200 28.8 16 2.3 8 1.2 695 
			 Outer London 816 72.3 268 23.8 38 3.4 6 0.5 1,128 
			 South East 2,075 77.8 487 18.3 84 3.1 21 0.8 2,667 
			 South West 1,391 71.7 468 24.1 71 3.7 10 0.5 1,940 
		
	
	
		
			   Pupils with SEN ( 4) 
			   Up to 5%  5% up to 25%  25% up to 35%  35% up to 50%  50% and above  
			   Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Total number of schools 
			 England 602 3.5 13,507 77.8 2,421 13.9 715 4.1 112 0.6 17,357 
			 North East 39 4.2 664 72.3 155 16.9 47 5.1 13 1.4 918 
			 North West 132 5.2 1,994 78.1 327 12.8 93 3.6 8 0.3 2,554 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 76 4.1 1,495 79.9 227 12.1 68 3.6 6 0.3 1,872 
			 East Midlands 48 2.8 1,344 79.2 223 13.1 72 4.2 9 0.5 1,696 
			 West Midlands 46 2.5 1,447 79.1 264 14.4 67 3.7 5 0.3 1,829 
			 East of England 67 3.3 1,679 81.6 237 11.5 59 2.9 16 0.8 2,058 
			 London 35 1.9 1,365 74.9 333 18.3 86 4.7 4 0.2 1,823 
			 Inner London 6 0.9 503 72.4 145 20.9 40 5.8 1 0.1 695 
			 Outer London 29 2.6 862 76.4 188 16.7 46 4.1 3 0.3 1,128 
			 South East 87 3.3 1,971 73.9 420 15.7 154 5.8 35 1.3 2,667 
			 South West 72 3.7 1,548 79.8 235 12.1 69 3.6 16 0.8 1,940 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Schools banded by the proportion of school population with SEN. (3) Number of primary schools by proportion of school population with SEN expressed as a percentage of all primary schools. (4) Pupils with SEN include both pupils with statements and those identified by schools as having SEN who do not have statements.  Source:  School Census 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained secondary schools ( 1) :  n umber of schools by percentage of pupils with SEN ( 2) ,  January 2007 
			   Pupils with statements of SEN 
			   Up to 2%  2% up to 5%  5% up to 10%  10% and above  
			   Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Total number of schools 
			 England 1,667 49.9 1,513 45.3 157 4.7 6 0.2 3,343 
			 North East 106 51.7 89 43.4 9 4.4 1 0.5 205 
			 North West 201 43.0 232 49.7 33 7.1 1 0.2 467 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 163 51.3 142 44.7 13 4.1 0 0.0 318 
			 East Midlands 150 50.2 131 43.8 17 5.7 1 0.3 299 
			 West Midlands 167 40.7 221 53.9 21 5.1 1 0.2 410 
			 East of England 233 54.8 173 40.7 19 4.5 0 0.0 425 
			 London 172 43.5 204 51.6 18 4.6 1 0.3 395 
			 Inner London 44 34.4 74 57.8 10 7.8 0 0.0 128 
			 Outer London 128 47.9 130 48.7 8 3.0 1 0.4 267 
			 South East 292 58.2 189 37.6 20 4.0 1 0.2 502 
			 South West 183 56.8 132 41.0 7 2.2 0 0.0 322 
		
	
	
		
			   Pupils with SEN ( 4) 
			   Up to 5%  5% up to 25%  25% up to 35%  35% up to 50%  50% and above  
			   Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Number of schools  %( 3)  Total number of schools 
			 England 202 6.0 2,540 76.0 415 12.4 153 4.6 33 1.0 3,343 
			 North East 6 2.9 166 81.0 25 12.2 8 3.9 0 0.0 205 
			 North West 33 7.1 355 76.0 53 11.3 20 4.3 6 1.3 467 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 11 3.5 249 78.3 43 13.5 15 4.7 0 0.0 318 
			 East Midlands 15 5.0 236 78.9 37 12.4 8 2.7 3 1.0 299 
			 West Midlands 24 5.9 310 75.6 53 12.9 20 4.9 3 0.7 410 
			 East of England 17 4.0 354 83.3 46 10.8 7 1.6 1 0.2 425 
			 London 29 7.3 256 64.8 72 18.2 30 7.6 8 2.0 395 
			 Inner London 2 1.6 79 61.7 27 21.1 17 13.3 3 2.3 128 
			 Outer London 27 10.1 177 66.3 45 16.9 13 4.9 5 1.9 267 
			 South East 40 8.0 353 70.3 62 12.4 36 7.2 11 2.2 502 
			 South West 27 8.4 261 81.1 24 7.5 9 2.8 1 0.3 322 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Schools banded by the proportion of school population with SEN. (3) Number of primary schools by proportion of school population with SEN expressed as a percentage of all primary schools. (4) Pupils with SEN include both pupils with statements and those identified by schools as having SEN who do not have statements.  Source:  School Census

School Leaving

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his estimate is of the cost to the Exchequer in  (a) 2007-08,  (b) 2008-09,  (c) 2009-10,  (d) 2010-11 and  (e) 2011-12 of raising the education leaving age to 18 years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: We plan to raise the participation age to 17 from September 2013 and 18 from September 2015. This will not involve additional costs over current plans in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10. We estimate that it will incur additional capital costs of 28.2 million in 2010-11 and 19.7 million in 2011-12, and additional training costs of 0.2 million in 2010-11 and 0.5 million in 2011-12.

School Meals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of English school pupils taking  (a) hot and  (b) cold school lunches in each reporting period in each year since 1990-91; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Department does not collect data about the number and proportion of English school pupils taking hot and cold school lunches.
	There is no requirement on authorities or schools to provide a hot school lunch. However, most authorities do offer pupils a hot meal and the transitional funding for school food we are providing authorities between 2005 and 2008 (220 million for 05-08) is conditional upon local authorities developing plans to begin the reintroduction of hot meals by 2008.

Schools: Aerials

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many mobile telephone masts in each local education authority area are sited  (a) on and  (b) within one mile of (i) primary and (ii) secondary school property.

Jim Knight: We do not hold this information but there is a website(1) operated by the Office of Communications that gives information on the location and operating characteristics of all mobile phone base stations in the United Kingdom.
	(1) http://www.sitefinder.ofcom.org.uk/

Schools: Construction

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many new schools were established in England in each year since 1980-81.

Jim Knight: The number of schools opened in England between 1980 and 2007 are given in the following table. To date, there are some 52 schools proposed to open in 2008, though, of course, this figure is subject to change.
	It must be noted that, prior to 2002, school details were recorded on three separate databases which did not demand school opening dates. Therefore, while the figures given are correct as recorded, they should be viewed within this context.
	
		
			  Numbers of schools opened between 1980 and 2007 
			  Year of opening  Number opened 
			 1980 (1) 
			 1981 (1) 
			 1982 (1) 
			 1983 (1) 
			 1984 (1) 
			 1985 (1) 
			 1986 (1) 
			 1987 (1) 
			 1988 1 
			 1989 1 
			 1990 1 
			 1991 6 
			 1992 6 
			 1993 2 
			 1994 1 
			 1995 48 
			 1996 136 
			 1997 76 
			 1998 86 
			 1999 133 
			 2000 124 
			 2001 153 
			 2002 118 
			 2003 126 
			 2004 129 
			 2005 128 
			 2006 138 
			 2007 186 
			 Total 1,599 
			 (1) No data  Source: EduBase 
		
	
	The figures include schools that opened as a result of the amalgamation or merger of two or more schools; schools that have closed but reopened as voluntary schools with a religious character; and schools that have opened in local authorities that have moved from a three-tier to a two-tier system.

Schools: Construction

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many schools in each local education authority  (a) have been built since 1997 and  (b) are planned to be built;
	(2)  how many schools in each local education authority have been built since the Education and Inspections Act 2006 came into force; and how many plans for new schools to be built have been drawn up since then;
	(3)  what percentage of schools that decided to rebuild at least 70 per cent. or more of their existing floor space were rebuilt with private finance initiative funding in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local education authority;
	(4)  which local education authorities have made plans to rebuild less than 70 per cent. of their floor space of schools since 1997;
	(5)  what percentage of the schools which have decided to rebuild less than 70 per cent. of existing floor space of schools since 1997 was funded by  (a) a design and build conventional capital and  (b) private finance initiative funding;
	(6)  how many local education authorities have made plans to rebuild at least 70 per cent. or more of the existing floor space of a school since 1997, broken down by local education authority.

Jim Knight: We hold only some of this information centrally.
	Earlier this year we collected data from all education authorities on their schools building investment. This includes, for instance, the number of new schools built each year over the past 10 years, either as additional schools or as replacement of existing schools, by each authority. This is the one area where the data we hold relate directly to one of these questions.
	The data also include the numbers of schools where authorities have renewed over 80 per cent. of the floor area of schools, and where they have renewed from 50 per cent. to 80 per cent. This information is available in the House Library.
	The information we requested was on completed projects, not on local authorities' plans.

Schools: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what discretionary funding schemes there are for schools administered by his Department; what the  (a) purpose and  (b) cost of the scheme was in each case in each year since 2004-05; what the budget is for each in each year to 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Information has been placed in the House Libraries detailing which specific grants were allocated to local authorities for schools or to support schools and pupils, for each year, between 2004-05 and 2007-08. The grants are in addition to the main funding for schools, provided though the local government finance system up to 2005-06 and the Dedicated Schools Grant since 2006-07. With the exception of the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant, recurrent grants that are devolved to schools are not ring-fenced at school level.
	DCSF is still agreeing the exact split of budgets with DIUS so it is not possible to give details of funding from 2008-11 at this moment. We will announce these in the autumn. The spending review settlement provided for a significant increase in DfES funding over the next three years to reach 75.5 billion by 2010-11, approximately 11 billion higher than in 2007-08.

Schools: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of schools funding is distributed without reference to pupil numbers; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The core funding for schools is delivered through the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) which was introduced in 2006-07 following two public consultations in 2005. The DSG was 28 billion in 2007-08 and all of this was distributed with reference to pupil numbers.

Schools: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what schemes will be funded in 2008-09 with the  (a) Standards Fund,  (b) School Standard Grant,  (c) Information and Communications Technology Scheme and  (d) academics and specialist schools budget.

Jim Knight: DCSF is still agreeing the exact split of budgets with DIUS so it is not possible to give details of funding from 2008-11 at this moment. The spending review settlement provided for a significant increase in DFES funding over the next three years to reach 75.5 billion by 2010-11, approximately 11 billion higher than in 2007-08. Details of specific schemes will be announced in the autumn.

Schools: Governing Bodies

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to increase the representation of parents on school organisation committees; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: School Organisation Committees were abolished by section 29 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 which came into force on 25 May 2007.
	Under new decision-making arrangements introduced from this date, decisions on statutory proposals to make changes to local school organisation are normally decided by local authorities, except for proposals for a new school where the local authority is the proposer or has a role in the trust of a proposed trust school. Such new school proposals are decided by the schools adjudicator. Other proposals may be decided by the schools adjudicator if the local authority fails to decide proposals within two months or following an appeal by the bodies for which there is explicit provision in the relevant legislation. Statutory guidance to local authorities and the schools adjudicator makes clear that they should have regard to the views of parents when considering proposals.

Schools: Human Rights

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many schools have adopted UNICEF's Rights Respecting Schools Programme; and if he will list them;
	(2)  what his policy is on promoting UNICEF's Rights Respecting Schools Programme;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the effect of UNICEF's Rights Respecting Schools programme on the behaviour of children in those schools that have adopted it.

Kevin Brennan: The Rights, Respect and Responsibilities (RRR) programme provides a framework of values based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Rights Respecting School awards are made by UNICEF to schools which teach children's and human rights and where rights and respect are modelled in all relationships. The Department has not made a systematic assessment of the RRR programme's effect on pupils' behaviour, but we know of schools which implement the programme and which have reported improvements in behaviour.
	Helping pupils understand their rights and responsibilities, which is central to RRR, can reinforce the Department's Social and Emotional Aspects of Learning (SEAL) programme, which has been shown to have positive effects on behaviour.
	Behaviour-related guidance, training and curriculum materials produced by the Department emphasise the importance of promoting mutual respect and personal responsibility and while the Department does not actively promote the specific RRR framework, schools are free to adopt it. The Department does not collect information about the numbers of schools involved in RRR.

Schools: Inspections

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many Ofsted school inspections took place in each year from 1992-93 to 2006-07; how many have taken place in 2007-08; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.

Schools: Nurses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time school nurses were employed by local authorities in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The table provides the full-time equivalent number of matrons, nurses and medical staff employed in local authority maintained schools by local authority in each January from 2004 to 2006. The number of nurses cannot be provided separately. These figures can be provided only on a full-time equivalent basis and cannot be broken down by full and part-time staff.
	2007 local authority figures are likely to be available on 27 September.
	
		
			  Full-time equivalent matrons, nurses and medical staff( 1)  employed in local authority maintained schools in England by government office region and local authorities, January 2004 to 2006 
			   Matrons/Nurses/Medical Staff 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			  England 1,650 1,700 1,690 
			 
			  North East 50 50 60 
			 Darlington
			 Durham
			 Gateshead 10 10 10 
			 Hartlepool
			 Middlesbrough  10 10 
			 Newcastle upon Tyne
			 North Tyneside 10   
			 Northumberland 10 10 10 
			 Redcar and Cleveland
			 South Tyneside  10 10 
			 Stockton-on-Tees
			 Sunderland 10 10 10 
			 
			  North West 170 170 180 
			 Blackburn with Darwen
			 Blackpool 10 10 10 
			 Bolton 10 10 10 
			 Bury 10 10 10 
			 Cheshire 20 10 20 
			 Cumbria 10 10 10 
			 Halton
			 Knowsley 10  10 
			 Lancashire 10 20 20 
			 Liverpool 10 10 10 
			 Manchester 10 10 10 
			 Oldham 30 20 20 
			 Rochdale
			 Salford
			 Sefton
			 St. Helens
			 Stockport
			 Tameside 20 20 20 
			 Trafford  10 10 
			 Warrington   10 
			 Wigan
			 Wirral 10 10  
			 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber 140 130 140 
			 Barnsley 10 10 10 
			 Bradford 10 10 10 
			 Calderdale 10 10 10 
			 Doncaster 10 10  
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 10 10 10 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of   10 
			 Kirklees 10 10 10 
			 Leeds 20 30 30 
			 North East Lincolnshire 10 10 10 
			 North Lincolnshire
			 North Yorkshire 10 10 10 
			 Rotherham 10 10 10 
			 Sheffield 10  10 
			 Wakefield 10 10 20 
			 York   10 
			 
			  East Midlands 80 100 90 
			 Derby 10 10 10 
			 Derbyshire 20 20 20 
			 Leicester 20 20 10 
			 Leicestershire 10   
			 Lincolnshire 10 10 10 
			 Northamptonshire 10 10 10 
			 Nottingham  10  
			 Nottinghamshire 10 20 10 
			 Rutland
			 
			  West Midlands 130 120 130 
			 Birmingham 30 20 20 
			 Coventry
			 Dudley 10 10 10 
			 Herefordshire
			 Sandwell 10 10 10 
			 Shropshire 20 10 10 
			 Solihull 10 10 10 
			 Staffordshire 10 10 10 
			 Stoke-on-Trent
			 Telford and Wrekin 10 10 10 
			 Walsall   10 
			 Warwickshire 20 20 20 
			 Wolverhampton
			 Worcestershire 10 10 10 
			 
			  East  o f England 180 160 160 
			 Bedfordshire 10 10 10 
			 Cambridgeshire 10  10 
			 Essex 40 40 40 
			 Hertfordshire 60 60 60 
			 Luton 10 10 20 
			 Norfolk 20 10 10 
			 Peterborough
			 Southend-on-Sea 10 10 10 
			 Suffolk 10 10 10 
			 Thurrock
			 
			  London 410 440 470 
			 
			  Inner London 70 70 80 
			 Camden
			 City of London
			 Hackney
			 Hammersmith and Fulham
			 Haringey 20 20 30 
			 Islington 10   
			 Kensington and Chelsea
			 Lambeth   10 
			 Lewisham 10 10 10 
			 Newham 10 10 10 
			 Southwark
			 Tower Hamlets
			 Wandsworth 10 10 10 
			 Westminster
			 
			  Outer London 340 370 390 
			 Barking and Dagenham
			 Barnet 30 40 30 
			 Bexley 10  10 
			 Brent 40 40 40 
			 Bromley 10 10 10 
			 Croydon 20 10 20 
			 Ealing 30 30 30 
			 Enfield 40 40 50 
			 Greenwich 20 30 30 
			 Harrow 50 50 50 
			 Havering
			 Hillingdon 60 60 60 
			 Hounslow 20 30 30 
			 Kingston upon Thames   10 
			 Merton
			 Redbridge  10 10 
			 Richmond upon Thames  10 10 
			 Sutton
			 Waltham Forest 10 10 10 
			 
			  South East 410 430 350 
			 Bracknell Forest 10 10 10 
			 Brighton and Hove
			 Buckinghamshire 140 130 60 
			 East Sussex 10 10 20 
			 Hampshire 60 60 60 
			 Isle of Wight 10 10 10 
			 Kent 40 50 50 
			 Medway  10 10 
			 Milton Keynes 10 10 10 
			 Oxfordshire 10 20 10 
			 Portsmouth 10 10 10 
			 Reading 10 10  
			 Slough 10 10 10 
			 Southampton 10 10 10 
			 Surrey 30 30 20 
			 West Berkshire
			 West Sussex 40 50 50 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead
			 Wokingham
			 
			  South West 90 100 110 
			 Bath and North East Somerset
			 Bournemouth
			 Bristol, City of
			 Cornwall 10 10 10 
			 Devon 10 10 10 
			 Dorset
			 Gloucestershire 20 20 10 
			 Isles of Scilly
			 North Somerset  10 10 
			 Plymouth  10 10 
			 Poole
			 Somerset 20 20 20 
			 South Gloucestershire
			 Swindon 10 10 10 
			 Torbay
			 Wiltshire 10 10 10 
			  = Nil or negligible. (1) Excludes matrons/nurses/medical staff in nursery schools and pupil referral units.  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools have been built with private finance initiative funding since May 1997.

Jim Knight: Since May 1997, we have built 884 schools with private finance initiative funding. Currently 651 of these schools are open and 232 schools are under construction.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average number of pupils attending private finance initiative funded schools was in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local education authority.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold this information centrally specifically for PFI funded schools. Detailed information on average number of pupils attending PFI funded schools is held at local authority level.

Schools: Private Finance Initiative

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many private finance initiative funded schools have experienced a fall in pupil numbers since opening in each of the last 10 years, broken down by local education authority.

Jim Knight: The Department does not hold information centrally on specifically how many PFI schools have experienced a fall in pupil numbers in each of the last 10 years. This level of detailed information is held at the local authority level.

Schools: Pupils

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what guidance has been given to local education authorities in relation to surplus school places and the reintroduction of new schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Statutory guidance issued to local authorities, in their capacity as decision makers, makes it clear that when considering proposals to establish a new school, they should take into account not only the existence of spare capacity in neighbouring schools, but also the schools' standards and popularity, together with any evidence of parents' aspirations for a new school. Where proposals for a new school will add to surplus capacity, but there is a strong case for approval on parental preference and standards grounds, the guidance includes a presumption to approve the proposals but makes it clear that the local authority should consider parallel action to remove any resulting surplus.

Schools: Special Educational Needs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what plans he has to separate the assessment of and funding of special educational needs in schools; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: There are no plans to alter the system of assessing and funding provision to meet children's special educational needs (SEN). However, we will consider carefully the results of the Education and Skills Committee's recent consultation on the proposal to separate local authority assessments of children's SEN from funding the educational provision set out in any subsequent SEN statement.

Schools: Sports

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government are taking to promote competitive school sports.

Kevin Brennan: This Government are committed to the expansion of competitive school sport. The PE national curriculum requires that all pupils are taught competitive games throughout their compulsory schooling. Competition is also a key component of the national school sport strategy. The 2005-06 school sport survey found that:
	71 per cent. of pupils are now participating in intra-school competitive activities and 37 per cent. of pupils are taking part in inter-school competition. Both figures have been rising year on year;
	97 per cent. of schools held a competitive sports day in the last academic year and the network of school sport partnerships staged over 10,700 festivals of sportmulti-sport events organised by secondary pupils for partnership primary schools.
	In addition, the Prime Minister announced on 13 July extra funding to extend the network of competition managers. This will see the number of competition managers rise from the present 59, to a national network of 225 by 2010. The competition managers are creating a stronger framework for competitive sport and working across primary and secondary schools to increase the amount of competitive sport they offer.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools were classed as requiring significant improvement in each reporting period since 2005.

Jim Knight: The following table gives the number of schools that were judged to require significant improvement in each term since September 2005 and the number of schools that were removed from this Ofsted category. A school which requires significant improvement is normally re-inspected after around 12 months, when they are either removed from the category, kept in the category for a further 12 months or are placed in special measures.
	The most recent information published by Ofsted was for the spring term this year.
	
		
			  Schools requiring significant improvement 
			   Autumn 2005  Spring 2006  Summer 2006  Autumn 2006  Spring 2007 
			 Number of schools requiring significant improvement 120 124 73 112 87 
			 Number of schools removed from the category or closed (1)0 (1)0 (2)5 58 101 
			 Number of schools in the category at the end of each term 120 244 312 366 352 
			 (1 )No re-inspections (2 )No re-inspections; five closures

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the expected cost to the public purse of school improvement partners in each year from 2007-08 to 2010-11.

Jim Knight: The Department for Children, Schools and Families provides two streams of funding for school improvement partners (SIPs). First, it contributes to the cost to local authorities of providing a SIP for every secondary school and, from April 2008, for every primary school and every special school. The funding is to help local authorities meet the cost of the SIP programme additional to that of previous local authority link adviser arrangements. The funding will be 15.8 million in financial year 2007-08. Allocations of funding for SIPs for 2008-11 will be announced in the autumn as part of wider announcements for the next CSR period.
	The second stream of funding is part of the Department's central support provided by the Primary and Secondary National Strategies. The SIP element of that support covers SIPs' accreditation, support to local authorities for introducing and managing SIPs, quality assurance of the programme and regional and national co-ordination of the work of SIPs. The cost of this in 2007-08 is 8.7 million. The cost of this work will vary annually depending on the level of support required and is also subject to the announcement of allocations for 2008-11 in the autumn.
	Both streams of funding have a direct and beneficial impact on the resource available to schools to help with school improvement and raising standards.

Schools: Standards

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what additional resources his Department provides to schools classified as causing concern to help them improve.

Jim Knight: A range of resources is made available by my Department to support schools causing concern. This includes guidance on such schools (available on the DCSF Standards website); central funding from a variety of sources, including the Fresh Start programme, that is paid to local authorities through the Standards Fund; a number of intervention and capacity building programmes such as the Raising Attainment in Teaching and Learning (RAIL) programme for secondary schools and the Intensifying Support Programme (ISP) for primary schools; and a network of school improvement delivery agencies some of whose work includes the provision of teaching materials and consultancy support.
	Every local authority has been allocated a share of an additional 30 million, over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 financial years, to support their school improvement work. Additional funding is also available from my Department's interventions budget, to support specific school improvement projects.

Schools: Standards

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many schools which are private finance initiative funded were  (a) categorised as causing concern and  (b) placed in special measures in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The Department does not centrally hold information specifically on how many PFI schools are categorised as causing concern or placed in special measures. This level of detailed information is held at local authority level for PFI funded schools.

Secondary Education: Admissions

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of secondary schools contained more than 1,000 pupils in each year from 1990-91 to 2007-08;
	(2)  how many pupils there were in English primary schools at Key Stage  (a) 1 and  (b) 2 equivalent in each year since 1985-86; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The requested information cannot be provided within the deadline required by Parliament.

Secondary Education: Specialist Schools

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether it is his policy to make all secondary schools independent specialist schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: It is not this Government's policy to make all secondary schools independent specialist schools.
	Any maintained secondary school in England may apply to be designated as specialist in one, or a combination of two, specialisms. Currently over 85 per cent. of all secondary schools in England are part of the Specialist Schools programme and have a subject specialism. The current target for the programme is that 95 per cent. of all schools will be specialist by 2008 and we are well on the way to achieving this.

Special Educational Needs

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average time taken was to carry out an assessment for a statement of special educational needs in each year since 1996-97, broken down by local education authority; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Government do not collect information on the time taken by local authorities to carry out statutory assessments of children with special educational needs. However, where they have decided that a statement is appropriate, local authorities are required to issue a draft statement within 18 weeks of receiving a request for an assessment and a final statement within 26 weeks (with exceptions set out in regulations made under the Education Act 1996).
	The Audit Commission publish figures on the proportion of draft statements issued by each local authority within 18 weeks of the start of the statutory assessment process. This information(1), broken down by local authority is available from http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/performance/dataprovision.asp.
	(1) Best Value Performance Indicator 43a and b give the proportion of draft statements issued within 18 weeks excluding and including the permitted exceptions to the time limits respectively since 2000-01. The proportion of draft statements issued within 18 weeks excluding exceptions was collected as indicator K12b from 1997-98 until 1999-2000 and as indicator K10b in 1996-97.
	The following table gives the national percentages of draft statements issued within 18 weeks for the years requested.
	
		
			   Percentage of draft statements issued within 18 weeks excluding permitted exceptions  Percentage of draft statements issued within 18 weeks including permitted exceptions( 1) 
			 2005-06 96.0 82.7 
			 2004-05 92.0 76.4 
			 2003-04 89.3 68.2 
			 2002-03 86.9 64.7 
			 2001-02 85.4 62.0 
			 2000-01(2) 82.5 57.1 
			 1999-2000 77.2  
			 1998-99 66.5  
			 1997-98(3) 53.5  
			 1996-97(4) 48.2  
			 (1) Data not collected in this format prior to 2000-01. (2) From 2000-01 onwards, these data reflect Best Value Performance Indicator 43a and 43b. (3) From, 1997-98 until 1999-2000, these data reflect Local Authority Performance Indicator K12b. (4) In 1996-97, these data reflect Local Authority Performance Indicator K10b.

Special Educational Needs: Free Schools Meals

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what percentage of pupils receiving free school meals in each  (a) local education authority and  (b) type of school had special educational needs statements in each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  what percentage of students with special educational needs statements in each local education authority attended a school characterised as one of the top 200 schools in the country in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  what percentage of pupils receiving free school meals in each local education authority attended a school characterised as one of the top 200 schools in each of the last 10 years;
	(4)  what percentage of pupils receiving free school meals in each local education authority attended a school classified as being in a school causing concern category in each of the last 10 years;
	(5)  how many classes of 30 or more pupils there were in each  (a) local education authority and  (b) type of school in each of the last 10 years;
	(6)  how many members of  (a) primary and  (b) secondary school staff in each local education authority were physically assaulted in each of the last 10 years;
	(7)  how many single sex schools there were in each of the last 10 years;
	(8)  how many faith-based schools there were in each of the last 10 years, broken down by religion;
	(9)  how many special educational needs students were educated solely in special schools in each of the last 10 years;
	(10)  how many special needs schools there were in each local education authority in each of the last 10 years;
	(11)  what the average ratio of special educational needs pupils to non-special educational needs pupils was in each local education authority's classes in each of the last 10 years;
	(12)  how many pupils with special educational needs were educated in mainstream schools in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The information requested cannot be provided within the deadline required by Parliament.

Specialist Schools

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many specialist schools there were in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The number of specialist schools in each year from 1997 to 2007 was as follows:
	
		
			   Number of specialist schools 
			 1997 221 
			 1998 304 
			 1999 377 
			 2000 513 
			 2001 664 
			 2002 972 
			 2003 1,435 
			 2004 1,945 
			 2005 2,376 
			 2006 2,607 
			 2007 2,807 
		
	
	Around 86 per cent. of all secondary schools are now specialist and we are well on track to meet the target that 95 per cent. of eligible secondary schools should be specialist by 2008.

Specialist Schools: Sports

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many specialist sport schools there are; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that there are at least 400 sports specialist schools and academies.

Kevin Brennan: There are already 433 designated sports colleges, composed of:
	371 schools with sport as a first specialism;
	22 schools with sport as a combined specialism;
	26 schools with sport as a second specialism; and
	14 academies with sport as a focus.
	The Department part funds the Youth Sport Trust to provide guidance and support to schools seeking to apply for sports college status. We are now working towards our ambition to establish 450 sports colleges and academies with a sports focus.

Teachers: Training

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many people failed to complete teacher training courses in each year from 2000 to 2007.

Jim Knight: Information about failure to complete initial teacher training (ITT) courses is only available for trainees in their final year of training. The following tables show the number of final year initial teacher training (ITT) trainees for each academic year between 1999/2000 and 2005/06 who did not gain qualified teacher status (QTS) in their final year of training and, of these, the number who left their course before completion and the number where the outcome of QTS is unknown for:
	1. Mainstream initial teacher training (ITT) trainees
	2. Employment-based routes (EBR) trainees
	
		
			  Mainstream final year ITT trainees 
			 Number of mainstream final year trainees who have not gained QTS 
			   Total number of mainstream trainees in their final year  Number of mainstream final year trainees gaining QTS  Known not to have completed course  Undefined outcome  Other outcome  Total 
			 1999/2000 24,650 21,690 1,290 350 1,330 2,960 
			 2000/01 25,720 22,640 1,350 480 1,250 3,080 
			 2001/02 26,350 23,280 1,130 0 1,940 3,070 
			 2002/03 28,570 25,430 1,050 10 2,090 3,140 
			 2003/04 30,970 27,340 1,470 0 2,160 3,630 
			 2004/05 31,360 27,150 1,410 20 2,780 4,210 
			 2005/06 31,310 27,100 1,310 10 2,900 4,210 
			  Notes: 1. Includes trainees from universities and other higher education (HE) institutions, school centred initial teacher training (SCITT) and Open universities (OU), but exclude employment-based routes (EBR). 2. Numbers are individually rounded to the nearest 10, therefore may not sum. 3. 'Other outcome' includes final year trainees who are yet to complete their course, those with withheld QTS (including those where their skills test was not met, their standards were not met and where both their standards and skills test were not met) and those where the skill test has not been taken (include those whose standards were met and those whose standards were not met).  Source: TDA performance profiles. 
		
	
	
		
			  Employment-based routes (EBR) trainees 
			 Number of EBR final year trainees who have not gained QTS 
			   Total number of EBR trainees in their final year  Number of EBR final year trainees gaining QTS  Known not to have completed course  Undefined outcome  Other outcome  Total 
			 2001/02 2,440 2,210 30 0 190 230 
			 2002/03 4,030 3,670 340 0 20 360 
			 2003/04 4,950 4,470 440 0 30 470 
			 2004/05 7,220 6,600 260 0 350 610 
			 2005/06 6,970 6,090 420 0 450 870 
			  Notes: 1. Includes trainees from employment-based routes (EBR) only. 2. Numbers are individually rounded to the nearest 10, therefore may not sum. 3. 'Other outcome' includes final year trainees who are yet to complete their course, those with withheld QTS (including those where their skills test was not met, their standards were not met and where both their standards and skills test were not met) and those where the skill test has not been taken (include those whose standards were met and those whose standards were not met).  Source: TDA performance profiles.

Truancy: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the total spending by his Department was on anti-truancy programmes in each year since 1996-97; and what assessment of value for money has been made of such spending.

Kevin Brennan: I refer the hon. Member to the replies given on 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 313W, to the hon. Member for Brent, East (Sarah Teather), on 22 January 2007,  Official Report, column 1486W, to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr. Hayes), on 16 January 2007,  Official  Report, columns 1061-62W, to the hon. Member for Cheadle (Mark Hunter) and on 23 October 2006,  Official Repor t, column 1566W, to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne).
	In 2007/08 we have committed the following amounts:
	0.6 million on attendance consultancy to support to local authorities;
	100,000 on absence data collections (in addition to school census collections);
	126,000 for publicity and promotion materials on attendance and absence; and
	15,000 on events for local authorities to share effective practice on attendance management.
	As a result of our focus on providing challenge and support to 436 secondary schools with high levels of persistent absence, we have seen a 22 per cent. reduction in the number of persistently absent pupils in those schools over the autumn and spring terms of 2006-07 compared to the same period in 2005-06.

Trust Schools

Robert Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many trust schools there are; and how many are planned to be built in the next five years.

Jim Knight: At present, no schools have implemented proposals to become foundation schools with foundations (Trust Schools) under the Education and Inspections Act 2006. However, the first of the Pathfinder schools plan to become Trust Schools from September 2007. There are currently 33 Pathfinder projects involving around 70 schools. All of these schools are expected to become Trust Schools by September 2008. With the addition of around 140 Early Adopters this means that there are currently more than 200 schools working towards Trust status. This is a school driven policy therefore there are no set targets. However the Department for Children, Schools and Families will work towards having 300 schools, which by the end of the year will have become Trust Schools or are working towards this.
	Forming a Trust does not involve new buildings. There is no additional capital and they will be funded through the local authority like any other maintained school.

Young People: Drugs

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children and young people under the age of 18 years were admitted to hospital due to the ingestion of  (a) illegal drugs and  (b) volatile substances in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply
	The specific information requested is not collected. However, the following table shows the number of finished admission episodes of young people under the age of 18, for the most commonly abused illegal drugs and volatile substances, for the last five years.
	
		
			  Count of finished admission episodes for selected primary diagnoses for ages 0-17 years for 2001 to 2006, national health service hospitals, England 
			   Illegal drugs  Volatile substances 
			 2001-02 1,345 633 
			 2002-03 1,367 630 
			 2003-04 1,336 692 
			 2004-05 1,138 903 
			 2005-06 1,253 1,005 
			  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics, The Information Centre for health and social care.

Young People: Education

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of  (a) all children and  (b) looked-after children over the age of 16 years were in full-time education in each of the last five years.

Jim Knight: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage of looked after children in Year 11 in full-time education, compared with all children 
			   Looked after children( 1)  All children( 2) 
			 2002 56 72 
			 2003 57 72 
			 2004 59 73 
			 2005 61 75 
			 2006 64 78 
			 (1) Source: Outcome Indicators for Looked After Children survey. (2) Source: The Connexions/Careers Service Annual Activity Survey.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many disputes and claims were handled by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service in each of the regions in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The number of individual conciliation claims handled by ACAS during the five years up to 2006-07 is as follows:
	
		
			  Region  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  Five-year total 
			 London 15,109 15,214 12,435 33,001 8,905 84,664 
			 South and East 10,414 10,666 8,473 8,094 9,965 47,612 
			 East of England 7,355 7,442 5,804 5,100 5,126 30,827 
			 East Midlands 6,090 7,493 5,224 6,105 6,864 31,776 
			 West Midlands 7,977 8,724 6,662 9,670 7,100 40,133 
			 North East 5,294 5,928 9,120 8,349 9,006 37,697 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 8,015 9,202 7,110 7,887 8,081 40,295 
			 North West 14,310 15,932 11,783 15,445 12,521 69,991 
			 Scotland 9,309 10,366 7,138 8,379 7,703 42,895 
			 South West 5,815 6,888 5,035 4,543 5,248 27,529 
			 Wales 4,765 4,704 3,049 3,139 3,520 19,177 
			 Total, all regions 94,453 102,559 81,833 109,712 84,039 472,596

Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service employees there are in each region.

Patrick McFadden: The number of people employed by ACAS as of June 2007 is as follows:
	
		
			  ACAS region  Total n umber of employees 
			 London 88 
			 Midlands and Eastern 152 
			 North West 96 
			 Northern 110 
			 Scotland 49 
			 Wales, South West and the South 139 
			 ACAS National (Head Office) 141 
			 Total 775

Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which regions are covered by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

Patrick McFadden: ACAS operates in all of the regional development agency regions in England. It also operates in Scotland and Wales but does not cover Northern Ireland.

Bankruptcy

Anne Begg: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many bankrupt individuals were advised by the official receiver of the fast track voluntary agreement option in each year since the implementation of the Enterprise Act 2002.

Patrick McFadden: The official receiver does not keep statistics on this matter.
	However, all bankrupts are provided with a copy of the booklet A Guide to Bankruptcy which includes details about alternatives to bankruptcy including fast track voluntary arrangements.
	A leaflet on FTVAs is also available on the Insolvency Service website.

Business: Torbay

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will list the schemes available to support entrepreneurs in Torbay; and what the budget is of each.

Stephen Timms: The Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform currently supports the following schemes for entrepreneurs in Torbay. This support is provided through the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA).
	Vantage Point Innovation Centre at South Devon College, Paignton
	Lymington Road Innovation Centre, Torquay.
	To date, SWRDA has contributed 1.8 million to these schemes matched with 0.78 million of European Regional Development Funds (ERDF) from the South West European Objective 2 Programme. The Objective 2 programme is also contributing 3.4 million ERDF towards the 7.1 million infrastructure development costs of the White Rock Business Park, Paignton.
	In addition to these schemes that are specific to Torbay, the Department also supports entrepreneurs in Torbay through the following regional schemes. This support, which is also provided through SWRDA, is funded on a regional basis and there is no budget specifically earmarked for entrepreneurs in Torbay. The SWRDA contribution to each scheme is shown in brackets.
	Business support to Small and Medium Enterprises delivered through the Business Link core offer (14.8 million per annum)
	South West Angels Investor Network (total investment of 1.4 million)
	Grant for Research and Development (1.5 million per annum).
	The Objective 2 programme has also provided over 21.7 million ERDF and 1.2 million of European Social Funds (ESF) to support businesses and entrepreneurs across the Objective 2 area which includes Torbay. The Objective 2 contribution to each project is shown in brackets.
	Business Link (DC)Adding Value to the Business Support Network (1,497,151 ERDF)
	Business Link (DC)Developing the Business Support Network (3,008,825 ERDF)
	Business Link (DC)Social Enterprise Loan Fund (1,200,000 ESF)
	Devon County CouncilBroadband4Devon (5,366,000 ERDF)
	SWIG (South West Investment Group)Business Development Funds (420,995 ERDF)
	SWIGBusiness Rural Enterprise Fund (102,000 ERDF)
	SWIGBusiness Growth Fund (700,000 ERDF)
	Finance South West (Venture Capital Funds) (9,630,070 ERDF)
	Environment AgencyEnvision (1,078,656 ERDF).

Coal: Environment Protection

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department has taken to ensure the use and sale of cleaner coal and gas across the UK.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have been taking action on a number of fronts to ensure fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas are used cleanly. The two key areas for reducing CO2, SO2 and NOx are as follows.
	The development of the Carbon Abatement Technology Strategy for Fossil Fuel Use, published in June 2005 (reference URN 05/844) sets out a path towards the cleaner use of fossil fuels enabling them to have a role in a sustainable world with significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions. As a result of this the Government announced in the Budget this year a competition to demonstrate carbon capture and storage power plant which has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions from power plant by up to 90 per cent. The Strategy document is available in the House of Commons Library and also can be found at
	www.berr.go.uk/energy/sources/sustainability/carbon-abatement-tech/techstrategy.
	Additionally the Government are implementing the European Commission's 'large combustion plant directive', (LCPD, 2001/80/EC) aimed at significantly reducing SO2 and NOx emissions as well as dust from power plant and other large industrial installations, This directive comes into effect from the start of 2008. Website Address:
	www.defra.gov.uk/environment/airquality/eu-int/eu-directives/lcpd.

Combined Heat and Power: Housing

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the opportunity to install combined heat and power and associated heat grids in the new housing developments and eco-towns announced by the Prime Minister to the House on 11 July.

Malcolm Wicks: As stated in the recently-published Energy White Paper, the Government are committed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from heat. Many current policies contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from heatfor example the EU ETS, the climate change levy, tax incentives for CHP and the Energy Efficiency Commitment. In addition, policies such as the Warm Front programme to tackle fuel poverty help to reduce emissions.
	The Government published a Biomass Strategy alongside the Energy White Paper. The strategy provides a framework for the development of biomass, including its application to combined heat and power. The Government are currently also consulting on proposals to band the Renewables Obligation. The proposals contain mechanisms which are designed to encourage biomass CHP.
	The Government recognise the value of considering the heat sector in a holistic and focused way. Further work is therefore being carried out into the policy options available to reduce the carbon impact of heat and its use. The work examines the full range of policy options, including the range of existing policy mechanisms such as the EU ETS.
	The Government recognise that Combined Heat and Power has an important role to play alongside other low carbon technologies. However, the market is best placed to decide which technologies are most effective in supplying the UK's energy while also meeting our carbon reduction goals. It will be for the proposers of Eco Towns to bring forward their ideas on how heating and electricity generation can be supplied from renewable sources, including combined heat and power and associated heat grids as appropriate. These will be assessed against Government policies for promoting renewable and decentralised energy supply. My hon. Friend the Minister for Housing, will shortly be publishing a prospectus for Eco Towns setting out the growth expectations for sourcing heat and power use from renewable energy.

Competition: Public Houses

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will ask the Serious Fraud Office to investigate allegations of the abuse of market share of  (a) brewing companies and  (b) leisure companies with large managed and tenanted public house property portfolios.

Gareth Thomas: Ensuring that markets operate freely and fairly is a matter for the independent competition authorities, rather than for Government. The UK competition framework has established the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) as an independent statutory body which is responsible for ensuring that markets operate competitively. The OFT has the powers to investigate and take action if companies are abusing a dominant position in a market or behaving anti-competitively.

Departments: EU Budget

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what responsibilities he has delegated to regional Ministers in respect of European Union funding; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The role of regional Ministers is set out in paragraphs 115 to 118 in The Governance of Britain (cmd 7170).

Departments: Ministerial Red Boxes

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many ministerial red boxes his Department and its predecessor bought in each of the last five years; what the cost of each was; who the suppliers were; and what tendering process was used in selecting them.

Gareth Thomas: The number of Ministers red boxes ordered by BERR and its predecessor over the previous five years were as follows:
	
		
			   Number  Cost () 
			 2002-03 0  
			 2003-04 0  
			 2004-05 1 604.50 
			 2005-06 9 749 each 
			 2006-07 8 749 each 
		
	
	Banner Business Supplies are the sole supplier of Ministers boxes and are an Office of Government Commerce (OGC) approved supplier.

Electricity Generation: Renewable Energy

Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what proportion of electricity was generated by renewable sources in the UK in the last period for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: In 2006, 4.6 per cent. of electricity was generated by renewable sources in the UK.
	 Source:
	Quarterly Energy Trends (June 2007), page 18, Table 2.

Electronic Equipment: Waste Disposal

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what in-store facilities are being made available in Staffordshire for customers to return white goods under the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive.

Malcolm Wicks: Detailed figures at a county level are not available, but all retailers of electrical and electronic equipment are obliged to offer in-store take-back if they are not members of the Distributor Takeback Scheme.
	Within Staffordshire all 13 local authority civic amenity sites have been approved as designated collection facilities and are playing their part in the UK WEEE system.

Energy Supply

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department plans to take to increase and improve the energy security of the UK.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department remains committed to open, competitive markets as the means to deliver energy security through diversity of energy supply and fuels. The Energy White Paper published in May 2007 set out in detail the Government's strategy for energy security. Specific measures include reform of the planning and consents process, to help facilitate delivery of energy infrastructure projects, continuing to press for fully competitive and transparent international markets, and provision of more detailed, forward looking information to the market through the Energy Markets Outlook. We will also maximise the economic production of our domestic energy sources, which, together with energy saving measures, will help reduce our dependence on energy imports.

Energy Supply: Meters

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what progress has been made with his Department's consultation with gas and energy suppliers on the introduction of display devices on meters for gas and electricity customers.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government set out their proposals on display devices in the Energy White Paper. They stated that the Government would require the provision of displays with new and replacement meters, and that consumers would be able to request for a display to be provided free of charge. They will shortly issue a consultation taking forward these proposals.

Energy Supply: Meters

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the energy demand research project trials will have an impact on the timetable for the roll-out of smart meters.

Malcolm Wicks: Data from the Energy Demand Reduction Project, together with information from other work being undertaken by the Government, Ofgem and energy suppliers, will inform the Government's and the industry's approach to a roll-out of smart meters.
	The trials will be important for number aspects of a roll-out programme, which the Government expect to be complete within 10 years. The Government will shortly issue a consultation on their approach to smart metering.

Energy Supply: Meters

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  if he will bring forward legislation for the introduction of domestic smart meters;
	(2)  when he expects the start of the roll-out of smart meters with visual displays of real-time information which allow communication between the meter, the energy supplier and the customer.

Malcolm Wicks: In the Energy White Paper, the Government made clear their expectation that domestic gas and electricity customers would have access to smart meters over the next 10 years. Its forthcoming consultation on the metering and billing proposals in the Energy White Paper will include a call for evidence on smart meters. This evidence, together with information from a range of other activities will inform the Government's decision on how best to roll out smart meters to the domestic market.

Energy Supply: Russia

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make representations to his European Union counterparts on the involvement of Russian energy companies and the purchase of energy sources from Russia within the European Union.

Malcolm Wicks: We are in regular contact with our European colleagues on energy issues; ensuring security of supply and the development of the internet market are key issues in these discussions.

Energy Supply: Russia

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will review the involvement of Russian energy companies in the UK market.

Malcolm Wicks: Russian energy companies play only a minor role in the UK energy market and the Government therefore do not plan a review.
	Energy businesses operating in our market are subject to the applicable regulatory regimes, which are there to safeguard the interests of customers.

Energy Technologies Institute: Consultants

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which external consultants have been appointed by his Department to assess private sector bids for involvement in the Energy Technologies Institute.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The Energy Technologies Institute is still being established as a 50:50 public/private partnership. The Department has not employed external consultants to assess potential private sector bids for involvement.

Energy Technologies Institute: Finance

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the cost has been of establishing the Energy Technologies Institute.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The then Secretary of State for Trade and Industry published the prospectus for the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI) on 14 September 2006. It envisaged that the Institute would be fully operational in 2008, with 50:50 public/private sector funding. The intention is that the institute will be legally established later in the autumn. Direct costs so far incurred in supporting the establishment of ETI amount to approximately 573,700.

Export Credit Guarantees

Roger Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many applications for Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) cover were received in the periods  (a) 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 and  (b) 1 July 2006 to date, stating in each case how many applications were made on (i) the standard ECGD forms downloaded from its website and (ii) bespoke forms.

Malcolm Wicks: The information requested is as follows.
	
		
			   (a) 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006  (b) 1 July 2006 - to date 
			 Number of standard applications 91 35 
			 Number of non-standard applications 2 1 
		
	
	The number of standard applications for the period of 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006 is approximate, as it was not ECGD's practice at that time to maintain a central record of application forms received.

Industrial Disputes: Mediation

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether his Department holds a record of all mediation services providing employment dispute resolution services; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Department does not hold this information.
	The consultation Resolving Disputes in the Workplace covered the area of mediation, and the Government will publish its plans for the way forward in resolving disputes in the workplace in due course.

Internet: Privacy

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with counterparts in other countries on the promotion of internet privacy practice.

Stephen Timms: I have had no such discussions since my recent appointment. These issues are an important aspect of the discussions within Europe and globally about policy issues arising from the internet.
	The rapidly increasing use of the internet gives rise to a range of issues relating to privacy. These include the problem of spam, issues around identity and on-line authentication, how to make the internet a safe place for children, and the problem of identity theft when such mechanisms fail. Privacy concerns also emerge in relation to the adoption of new technologies such as radio frequency identification and law enforcement initiatives such as the retention of and access to communications data. We also expect the European Commission to come forward with proposals to enhance privacy of data in their review of the telecommunications framework.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much has been allocated under phase one of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme  (a) in total and  (b) in each region in each month since the scheme began; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The following table provides the data for all Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 funding streams as at 12 July 2007.
	
		
			  LCBP Phase 1grant allocations by region and monthhousehold funding stream 
			  Region  Month application received  Number of applications  Grant offered  () 
			 East Midlands  416 457,454 
			  May 2006 26 29,533 
			  June 2006 8 6,900 
			  July 2006 32 33,071 
			  August 2006 35 40,536 
			  September 2006 27 38,749 
			  October 2006 100 103,392 
			  November 2006 85 71,126 
			  December 2006 29 34,447 
			  January 2007 18 26,313 
			  February 2007 8 8,008 
			  March 2007 12 26,489 
			  May 2007 13 14,742 
			  June 2007 16 18,449 
			  July 2007 7 5,700 
			 
			 East of England  728 989,611 
			  May 2006 42 48,749 
			  June 2006 13 14,900 
			  July 2006 62 131,726 
			  August 2006 64 60,468 
			  September 2006 50 86,360 
			  October 2006 150 194,889 
			  November 2006 138 144,803 
			  December 2006 40 49,961 
			  January 2007 37 65,490 
			  February 2007 30 67,495 
			  March 2007 18 46,733 
			  May 2007 46 43,753 
			  June 2007 28 28,683 
			  July 2007 10 5,600 
			 
			 London  276 640,399 
			  May 2006 16 27,525 
			  June 2006 6 17,696 
			  July 2006 22 45,025 
			  August 2006 24 64,195 
			  September 2006 30 100,097 
			  October 2006 46 121,399 
			  November 2006 42 64,101 
			  December 2006 13 18,729 
			  January 2007 9 28,538 
			  February 2007 12 46,770 
			  March 2007 13 58,325 
			  May 2007 17 14,800 
			  June 2007 20 26,600 
			  July 2007 6 6,600 
			 
			 North East  110 168,817 
			  May 2006 7 13,600 
			  June 2006 3 7,000 
			  July 2006 6 10,268 
			  August 2006 9 27,571 
			  September 2006 7 16,600 
			  October 2006 26 12,204 
			  November 2006 17 26,606 
			  December 2006 3 7,150 
			  January 2007 7 16,420 
			  February 2007 3 6,600 
			  March 2007 7 13,100 
			  May 2007 1 1 ,500 
			  June 2007 11 8,999 
			  July 2007 3 1,200 
			 
			 North West  350 469,355 
			  May 2006 18 45,216 
			  June 2006 8 5,353 
			  July 2006 21 34,512 
			  August 2006 22 43,520 
			  September 2006 16 19,283 
			  October 2006 80 62,835 
			  November 2006 83 79,209 
			  December 2006 35 67,924 
			  January 2007 11 15,403 
			  February 2007 9 17,379 
			  March 2007 8 37,270 
			  May 2007 19 24,634 
			  June 2007 17 15,540 
			  July 2007 3 1,279 
			 
			 Northern Ireland  88 216,651 
			  May 2006 18 30,191 
			  June 2006 15 21 ,306 
			  July 2006 28 82,343 
			  August 2006 12 44,722 
			  September 2006 3 5,400 
			  October 2006 5 10,589 
			  November 2006 4 10,319 
			  January 2007 1 400 
			  March 2007 1 8,880 
			  May 2007 1 2,500 
			 
			 Scotland  178 390,574 
			  May 2006 7 35,500 
			  July 2006 10 52,596 
			  August 2006 11 52,526 
			  September 2006 9 20,240 
			  October 2006 39 26,481 
			  November 2006 52 79,102 
			  December 2006 24 43,388 
			  January 2007 7 14,636 
			  February 2007 3 7,177 
			  March 2007 11 51,580 
			  May 2007 2 1,900 
			  June 2007 2 5,000 
			  July 2007 1 449 
			 
			 South East  1,243 2,066,947 
			  May 2006 110 123,660 
			  June 2006 39 69,458 
			  July 2006 120 211,850 
			  August 2006 113 164,675 
			  September 2006 86 205,270 
			  October 2006 226 374,866 
			  November 2006 192 229,680 
			  December 2006 75 109,520 
			  January 2007 56 142,271 
			  February 2007 51 179,766 
			  March 2007 45 140,038 
			  May 2007 64 57,967 
			  June 2007 51 37,178 
			  July 2007 17 20,750 
			 
			 South West  1132 1,605,705^H 
			  May 2006 78 59,215 
			  June 2006 32 47,601 
			  July 2006 103 150,104 
			  August 2006 103 145,209 
			  September 2006 79 152,838 
			  October 2006 162 167,930 
			  November 2006 204 295,128 
			  December 2006 59 72,067 
			  January 2007 60 97,642 
			  February 2007 43 108,794 
			  March 2007 37 143,833 
			  May 2007 64 69,226 
			  June 2007 79 60,968 
			  July 2007 30 34,350 
			  July 2008 1 1 ,200 
			 
			 Wales  511 649,961 
			  May 2006 30 29,043 
			  June 2006 22 15,934 
			  July 2006 42 84,139 
			  August 2006 37 34,632 
			  September 2006 27 59,030 
			  October 2006 85 73,000 
			  November 2006 91 121,164 
			  December 2006 33 57,261 
			  January 2007 21 24,383 
			  February 2007 21 14,168 
			  March 2007 16 43,460 
			  May 2007 45 53,885 
			  June 2007 33 30,861 
			  July 2007 8 9,000 
			 
			 West Midlands  365 524,428 
			  May 2006 23 22,574 
			  June 2006 8 7,000 
			  July 2006 28 23,779 
			  August 2006 41 84,336 
			  September 2006 29 41,881 
			  October 2006 78 116,680 
			  November 2006 50 50,425 
			  December 2006 17 28,945 
			  January 2007 17 32,365 
			  February 2007 15 34,861 
			  March 2007 11 36,165 
			  May 2007 15 15,980 
			  June 2007 23 23,740 
			  July 2007 10 5,699 
			 
			 Yorks and Humber  350 538,354 
			  May 2006 14 23,580 
			  June 2006 6 20,265 
			  July 2006 19 33,890 
			  August 2006 29 42,984 
			  September 2006 28 40,813 
			  October 2006 77 96,707 
			  November 2006 90 115,047 
			  December 2006 17 32,280 
			  January 2007 18 32,340 
			  February 2007 5 11,183 
			  March 2007 12 46,563 
			  May 2007 15 20,168 
			  June 2007 17 19,986 
			  July 2007 3 2,550 
			 
			 Grand total  5,751 8,718,655

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much funding was allocated to be spent under  (a) stream 1,  (b) stream 2A and  (c) stream 2B of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 16 July 2007
	 The Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1 was launched in April 2006 with a 30 million budget. 1.5 million was allocated to the Clear Skies and Solar PV Major Demonstration programmes to smooth the transition between these programmes and the Low Carbon Buildings Programme. The allocations by funding stream for the remainder were as follows:
	
		
			  Funding stream  Allocation( 1)  ( million) 
			 Household 6.5 
			 Community 4.0 
			 Large-scale projects up to 100,000 grants 6.0 
			 Large-scale projects up to 1 million grants 12.0 
			 (1 )Including management fees 
		
	
	A further 6.2 million of the total budget was re-allocated to the household stream in October 2006 given the higher than anticipated demand from householders. The revised allocations by funding stream were as follows:
	
		
			  Funding stream  Alloca tion( 1 ) ( million) 
			 Household 12.7 
			 Community 2.9 
			 Large-scale projects up to 100,000 grants 2.9 
			 Large-scale projects up to 1 million grants 10.0 
			 (1 )Including management fees 
		
	
	In the Budget 2007, the Chancellor announced that an additional 6 million would be made available to the household stream. The current allocations by funding stream are therefore as follows:
	
		
			  Funding stream  Allocation( 1) ( million) 
			 Household 18.7 
			 Community 2.9 
			 Large-scale projects up to 100,000 grants 2.9 
			 Large-scale projects up to 1 million grants 10.0 
			 (1 )Including management fees

National Institute for Medical Research

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate was made of the  (a) value and  (b) area of the Temperance Hospital site in Camden when his Department sought approval from HM Treasury for its purchase for the National Institute for Medical Research; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I have been asked to reply.
	The National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) is a wholly owned institute of the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC sought professional advice on the valuation of the National Temperance Hospital (NTH) site. This advised that the valuation of the site was in the range 12 million to 42 million, with a figure between the two extremes being more realistic. The area of the NTH site is 0.9 acres.

Overseas Companies: Chile

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many UK-registered companies currently operate or have a base in the regions of  (a) Araucania and  (b) Los Lagos in Chile.

Gareth Thomas: UK Trade and Investment's team in Chile is aware of two UK companies with operations in Los Lagos. They are not aware of any UK-registered companies operating in the Araucania region.

Paternity Leave

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment his Department has made of the merits of increasing statutory paternity leave.

Patrick McFadden: The Government believe in the importance of increasing opportunities for individuals to achieve a balance between work and caring responsibilities. This is why they introduced two weeks' paid paternity leave in 2003.

Small Businesses: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the businesses affected in the North Yorkshire area by the recent flooding will be eligible for the small-scale small business recovery scheme which is being offered to small businesses in South Yorkshire.

Stephen Timms: The Yorkshire Forward Small Business Recovery Fund is a regional scheme and companies in North Yorkshire affected by the recent flooding are eligible to apply. The scheme provides up to 2,500 per company for immediate recovery needs.

Tidal Power: Severn Estuary

Paul Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the  (a) advantages and  (b) disadvantages of tidal power generation in the Severn estuary; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: Between 1978 and 1994 the Government supported a comprehensive programme of research and development on tidal energy. These studies considered tidal energy schemes at a number of potential sites, including within the Severn estuary. The results of the Severn studies were reported in Energy Paper 57 (ISBN 0 11 412952 5) and an overall assessment of the tidal programme was published in 1994 (ETSU R-82).
	A study is currently under way that is looking in some detail at the issues arising on tidal power. The study is being led by the Sustainable Development Commission (SDC) working together with my Department, Welsh Assembly Government, the devolved administrations and the South West Regional Development Agency. The study will provide a strategic, independent and evidence-based consideration of all the environmental, social and economic aspects of options for tidal power in the Severn estuary from a sustainable development perspective.
	The final report is expected to be published in September. Further details of the study can be seen at:
	www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/tidal.html.

Trade: China

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of whether the number of Mandarin speakers in the UK will be enough to cope with the expected level of trade growth between the UK and China in the next 20 years.

Gareth Thomas: The Government place great importance on developing the skills base of the United Kingdom and recognises the value of foreign languages.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families is leading on a number of initiatives to promote the Chinese language and culture in the UK educational system.
	The recent Qualifications and Curriculum Authority review announced plans to free up requirements in languages so that schools can offer major world languages such as Mandarin, at Key Stage 3.
	In addition, the Government are actively encouraging better understanding of Chinese business practices and culture. UK Trade and Investment, along with our partners at the China-Britain Business Council provide a wide range of practical services to support British companies to trade with, and invest in China. This includes support on the ground from Mandarin speakers. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform however does not make assessments on foreign language capacity of the workforce.

Unsolicited Goods and Services: Telephone Services

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the merits of requiring companies to display their telephone number when making unsolicited calls.

Stephen Timms: holding answer 19 July 2007
	This matter is the responsibility of the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which is accountable to Parliament rather than Ministers. Accordingly, I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to reply directly to my hon. Friend. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Wind Power

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the future use of wind power.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 July 2007
	 As stated in the Energy White Paper Meeting the Energy Challenge, published earlier this year renewable energy has a key role to play in reducing carbon emissions and achieving security of supply.
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39387.pdf
	In February this year the UK became one of only eight countries to surpass two gigawatts of wind generation. It took 14 years to reach the first gigawatt of electricity from wind and only a further 20 months to reach the second gigawatt.
	The UK has one of the best wind profiles in Europe and as such wind technologies both onshore and offshore have the potential to supply a significant percentage of our energy needs.

Wind Power

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many windfarms there are in the UK; and where they are located.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 July 2007
	According to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) there are currently a total of 148 wind farms in the UK, 143 onshore and five offshore.
	The locations of these wind farms are:
	
		
			  Wind farm  Location  Latitude  Longitude 
			 Dommuie Aberdeenshire 57 27 01N 02 41 35W 
			 Boyndie Airfield Aberdeenshire 57 38 47N 02 36 17W 
			 Glens of Foudland Aberdeenshire 57 25 28N 02 38 34W 
			 Llyn Alaw Anglesey 53 21 48N 04 26 59W 
			 Cruach Mhor Argyll and Bute 56 02 24N 05 09 22W 
			 Tangy Argyll and Bute 55 29 38N 05 40 45W 
			 Deucheran Hill Argyll and Bute 55 37 44N 05 33 35W 
			 Beinn an Tuirc Argyll and Bute 55 33 56N 05 34 12W 
			 Beinn Ghlas Argyll and Bute 56 22 59N 05 16 20W 
			 Green Park Berkshire 51 25 05N 00 59 02W 
			 Ransonmoor Farm Cambridgeshire 52 30 15N 00 01 28E 
			 Red Tile Cambridgeshire 52 27 02N 00 00 27W 
			 Glass Moor Cambridgeshire 52 30 53N 00 06 45W 
			 Coldham Cambridgeshire 52 34 29N 00 08 45W 
			 Long Hill Road Cambridgeshire 52 33 34N 00 06 08E 
			 Abbey Produce Ramsey Site Cambridgeshire   
			 Blaen Bowi Carmarthenshire 51 59 17N 04 26 43W 
			 Parc Cynog Carmarthenshire 51 51 28N 04 34 40W 
			 Cefn Croes (inc Devils Bridge, Bryn Du) Ceredigion 52 24 18N 03 45 03W 
			 Llangwyryfon Ceredigion 52 18 26N 04 01 43W 
			 Mynydd Gorddu Ceredigion 52 27 18N 03 58 20W 
			 Rheidol Ceredigion 52 24 12N 03 52 56W 
			 Dyffryn Brodyn Ceredigion 51 52 09N 04 33 25W 
			 Rhyd-y-Groes Ceredigion 53 24 46N 04 25 54W 
			 Slievenahanaghan Co. Antrim 55 02 21N 06 16 20W 
			 Elliot's Hill Co. Antrim 54 51 00N 06 03 36W 
			 Corkey Co. Antrim 55 02 00N 06 15 24W 
			 Callagheen Co. Fermanagh 54 26 18N 08 00 30W 
			 Tappaghan Mountain Co. Fermanagh 54 32 53N 07 33 14W 
			 Slieve Rushen Co. Fermanagh 54 09 36N 07 37 12W 
			 Altahullion Phase I Co. Londonderry 54 57 36N 07 01 54W 
			 Rigged Hill Co. Londonderry 55 01 18N 06 49 13W 
			 Lendrum's Bridge Phase II Co. Tyrone 54 26 12N 07 20 42W 
			 Lendrum's Bridge Phase I Co. Tyrone 54 26 12N 07 20 42W 
			 Owenreagh Co. Tyrone 54 48 30N 07 19 54W 
			 Bessy Bell Co. Tyrone 54 40 48N 07 24 12W 
			 Mawla (Moel Maelogen) Conwy 53 08 08N 03 43 00W 
			 Moel Maelogen Conwy 53 08 08N 03 43 24W 
			 Bears Down Cornwall 50 28 23N 04 57 11W 
			 Four Burrows Cornwall 50 17 30N 05 08 44W 
			 St. Breock Cornwall 50 28 36N 04 51 45W 
			 Goonhilly Downs Cornwall 50 02 46N 05 11 56W 
			 Cold Northcott Cornwall 50 38 14N 04 31 07W 
			 Carland Cross Cornwall 50 21 05N 05 01 48W 
			 Delabole Cornwall 50 38 14N 04 42 15W 
			 WWA High Sharpley County Durham 54 50 20N 01 25 04W 
			 Hare Hill (3Hs) County Durham 54 45 45N 01 24 59W 
			 Holmside Hall (3Hs) County Durham 54 50 18N 01 40 35W 
			 High Volts (3Hs) County Durham 54 41 58N 01 17 29W 
			 Tow Low (High Hedley 2) County Durham 54 45 37N 01 46 57W 
			 High Hedley Hope County Durham 54 45 36N 01 46 51W 
			 WWU High Pow Cumbria 54 46 51N 03 09 35W 
			 Eastman (Voridian) Cumbria 54 39 51N 03 32 33W 
			 Barrow (Off Shore) Cumbria 53 59 00N 03 17 00W 
			 Haverigg III Cumbria 54 12 03N 03 19 45W 
			 Winscales extension Cumbria 55 51 51N 03 05 15W 
			 Lambrigg Cumbria 54 20 07N 02 38 18W 
			 Lowca Cumbria 54 35 34N 03 34 33W 
			 Great Orton II Cumbria 54 52 01N 03 04 31W 
			 Winscales Cumbria 54 51 51N 03 05 15W 
			 Askam Cumbria 54 11 14N 03 10 20W 
			 Haverigg II Cumbria 54 12 03N 03 19 45W 
			 Harlock Hill Cumbria 54 13 08N 03 09 28W 
			 Oldside Cumbria 54 39 34N 03 33 34W 
			 Siddick Cumbria 54 40 16N 03 32 35W 
			 Kirkby Moor Cumbria 54 14 46N 03 09 08W 
			 Tir Mostyn and Foel Goch Denbighshire 53 06 52N 03 29 17W 
			 North Hoyle (Off Shore) Denbighshire 53 26 00N 03 24 00W 
			 Forest Moor Devon 50 53 39N 04 24 57W 
			 Wether Hill Dumfries and Galloway 55 18 37N 03 55 54W 
			 Artfield Fell Dumfries and Galloway 54 57 58N 04 45 59W 
			 Windy Standard Dumfries and Galloway 55 17 31N 04 12 18W 
			 Michelin Tyre Factory Dundee City 56 28 59N 02 53 32W 
			 Hare Hill East Ayrshire 55 21 06N 04 07 04W 
			 Myres Hill East Renfrewshire 55 41 30N 04 16 42W 
			 Lynch Knoll Gloucestershire 51 40 47N 02 16 29W 
			 Hafoty Ucha 3 extension Gwynedd 52 54 01N 04 23 18W 
			 Hafoty Ucha 2 extension Gwynedd 52 54 01N 03 35 18W 
			 Hafoty Ucha 1 Gwynedd 52 53 01N 03 35 18W 
			 Trysglwyn Gwynedd 53 22 28N 04 20 43W 
			 Beaufort Court (RES Office) Hertfordshire 51 42 29N 00 26 13W 
			 Beinn Tharsuinn Highland 57 48 06N 04 19 56W 
			 Farr Windfarm Highland 57 19 30N 04 05 39W 
			 Boulfruich Highland 58 18 0N 03 26 00W 
			 Gigha Community Highland 55 40 05N 05 45 16W 
			 Causeymire Highland 58 25 46N 03 30 31W 
			 Forss, Hill of Lybster Highland 58 36 28N 03 40 03W 
			 Novar Highland 57 42 52N 04 26 03W 
			 Out Newton Humberside 53 40 03N 00 06 04W 
			 Kentish Flats (Off shore) Kent 51 27 00N 01 08 10E 
			 WWP Hameldon Hill Lancashire 53 47 19N 02 09 39W 
			 Caton Moor Repowering Lancashire 54 03 39N 02 39 25W 
			 Coal Clough Lancashire 53 44 55N 02 10 03W 
			 Black Scout Wind Farm Lancashire 53 45 10N 02 09 39W 
			 Bambers Farm II Linolnshire 53 19 39N 00 14 25E 
			 Deeping St. Nicholas Lincolnshire 52 43 58N 00 13 01W 
			 Gedney Marsh (Red House) Lincolnshire 52 50 23N 00 06 24W 
			 Bambers Farm Lincolnshire 53 19 44N 00 15 03E 
			 Mablethorpe Lincolnshire 53 19 39N 00 14 25E 
			 Ford Motors London 51 31 18N 00 09 02E 
			 Royal Seaforth Dock Merseyside 53 27 31N 03 01 49W 
			 Paul's Hill Moray 57 26 46N 03 28 34W 
			 Findhorn Foundation Moray 57 39 26N 03 34 48W 
			 Rothes (Cairn Uish) Moray 57 32 14N 03 22 17W 
			 Ffynnon Oer Neath Port Talbot 51 54 00N 03 10 00W 
			 North Pickenham Windfarm Norfolk 52 37 34N 00 44 59W 
			 Scroby Sands (Off shore) Norfolk 52 38 00N 01 47 00E 
			 Swaffham Extension Norfolk 52 39 21N 00 41 07E 
			 Somerton Norfolk 52 42 33N 01 39 20E 
			 Eco Tech Centre Norfolk 52 39 21N 00 41 07E 
			 Blood Hill Norfolk 52 42 41N 01 40 03E 
			 Wardlaw Wood North Ayrshire 55 42 38N 04 43 24W 
			 Ardrossan North Ayrshire 55 41 09N 04 48 26W 
			 Chelker Reservoir North Yorkshire 53 57 34N 01 54 31W 
			 Burton Wold Wind farm Northamptonshire 52 21 23N 00 39 02W 
			 Blyth (Off shore) Northumberland 55 08 09N 01 29 25W 
			 Kirkheaton Northumberland 55 04 58N 01 59 26W 
			 Blyth Harbour Northumberland 55 07 20N 01 29 25W 
			 Burray Orkney 58 52 15N 02 53 41W 
			 Spurness Wind farm Orkney 59 11 10N 02 41 22W 
			 Thorfinn, Burgar Hill Orkney 59 07 31N 03 09 16W 
			 Bu farm Orkney 59 04 59N 02 39 53W 
			 Sigurd Orkney 59 07 53N 03 08 57W 
			 Castle Pill Farm Pembrokeshire 51 43 27N 05 00 26W 
			 Mynydd Clogau Powys 52 34 49N 03 25 59W 
			 Cemmaes Powys 52 38 38N 03 40 45W 
			 Carno 'A' and 'B' Powys 52 33 02N 03 36 01W 
			 Bryn Titli Powys 52 22 03N 03 33 51W 
			 Llandinam PL Powys 52 26 11N 03 24 49W 
			 Taff Ely Rhondda Cynon Taff 51 33 46N 03 29 09W 
			 Crystal Rig 1a Scottish Borders 56 53 42N 03 30 47W 
			 Black Hill Scottish Borders 55 47 54N 02 26 02W 
			 Crystal Rig Scottish Borders 55 53 42N 02 30 47W 
			 Bowbeat Scottish Borders 55 42 56N 03 08 23W 
			 Dun Law Scottish Borders 55 48 27N 02 51 37W 
			 Burra Dale Extension Shetland Islands 60 09 53N 01 14 10W 
			 Burra dale Shetland Islands 60 09 53N 01 14 10W 
			 Hadyard Hill, Barr South Ayrshire 55 14 45N 04 43 23W 
			 Black Law B South Lanarkshire 55 46 01N 03 44 20W 
			 Black Law A South Lanarkshire 55 46 01N 03 44 20W 
			 Sainsburys, Langlands Park South Lanarkshire 55 44 32N 04 09 36W 
			 Hagshaw Hill South Lanarkshire 55 33 02N 03 55 06W 
			 Royd Moor South Yorkshire 53 31 55N 01 40 10W 
			 Braes O'Doune Stirling 56 16 34N 04 03 45W 
			 Ness Point Suffolk 52 28 47N 01 45 35E 
			 Nissan Motors Plant Tyne and Wear 54 55 12N 01 28 05W 
			 Great Eppleton Tyne and Wear 54 49 47N 01 25 54W 
			 Ovenden Moor West Yorkshire 53 46 27N 01 56 05W

Wind Power

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps his Department is taking with business to encourage the creation of wind farms.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 July 2007
	 My Department are continuing to work with the renewables industry to overcome the barriers for deployment.
	The Renewables Obligation (RO) is the Government's main support mechanism for supporting renewables generation. The RO places an obligation on suppliers to source a specific and annually increasing proportion of their sales from renewable sources. The RO is currently technology blind so that as long as the generation is from an eligible renewable source the generator will receive one Renewable Obligation Certificate (ROC) for every 1 MW of renewable generation.
	We are currently changing the RO to allow banding whereby differing values of ROC's dependent on what the generating source is and we announced in the Energy White Paper the proposed bands for renewables under the RO.

Wind Power

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what further wind farm developments are planned.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 July 2007
	 It is for the wind farm developers to decide the best location for the wind farms and for them to take them through the planning process.
	According to the British Wind Energy Association (BWEA) there are currently:
	32 onshore and seven offshore wind farms are under construction.
	96 onshore and seven offshore wind farms are consented but not yet under construction.
	217 onshore and seven offshore wind farms are in planning.

Wind Power

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with his colleagues in HM Treasury on tax incentives related to wind power.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 19 July 2007
	 I have had no recent discussions with my colleagues at HM Treasury on tax incentives for wind farms.